Invisible Arthur
by Tibbins
Summary: The title says it all. Arthur gets turned invisible by a sorcerer in the woods. How will this be explained to Uther? Will they be able to change him back? And what will Arthur find out about his manservant? Merlin/Arthur may become slash
1. Chapter 1

**Hello people :D this is a little something that I got inspired to write by Rea666's story called 'see no Arthur, hear no Arthur' it's amazing and I reccomend you check it out. I asked her permission to write this because it uses the same basic idea. But with a bit of a twist in plotline and outcome. I'm hoping for slash but it may just turn out to be a bromance. We'll see xD**

**I dedicate the first chapter to Rea666 as a huge thank you for allowing me to write this :D**

**If I owned Merlin, then Arthur would not have married Gwen ... instead he would have married everyone's favourite warlock ^.^**

**I hope you enjoy this :)**

'You know what?' Merlin exclaimed to Gaius, who was stirring fish soup and looking bored as his dogsbody repeated the same point over and over 'He just doesn't realise all that I do for him! Already today I have cleaned his stables, polished his armour, mended his boots, sharpened his swords _and _exercised his dogs and do I get a thank you? No I don't! I get a gauntlet to the face because I was a minute late for dinner!' he rubbed his bruised cheek

'Well you _are _his servant Merlin' said Gaius patiently 'You get thanked when you get paid'

'I don't _get _paid anymore' said Merlin mournfully 'Arthur says that he makes sure I have what I need but if I had any more then I wouldn't be able to get my head through the door'

'I fear he would be quite right' Gaius said ladling out the soup, ignoring Merlin's squawk of protest 'now eat your soup, it's going to get cold' Merlin raised the clay spoon to his lips to take a sip

'Merlin!' he jumped and dropped the spoon back into the bowl, scrambling to his feet, Arthur stood in the doorway

'What now?' he grumbled going to sit back down

'Hunting trip' said Arthur brightly striding in and dropping the crossbow at Merlin's feet

'But I haven't eaten –'

'Now Merlin' The raven haired boy sighed and picked up the crossbow, catching Gaius' pitying look as he shuffled out, following his Royal Pratness and grumbling the whole while

'Oh do shut up Merlin' Arthur said, exasperated as they mounted the horses 'Your going to warn all the animals off if you keep going on like that'

'Good' muttered the young warlock under his breath 'I still don't understand how killing animals is a sport'

'If you did try to understand then your brain would burst' the Prince said matter of factly, he set off at a canter and Merlin followed suit, his eyes flickered skywards

'It's going to be dark by the time we get back' he complained

'Well done Merlin, you finally learnt the time of day' Arthur replied sarcastically 'Maybe you'll be able to move onto counting soon' he continued as Merlin scowled 'Or maybe you can go on to _really _complicated things, like not wetting the bed'

'I _don't _wet the bed!' Merlin said indignantly 'and at least_ I_ can dress myself'

'Of course you can Merlin' came the sardonic reply 'which is why your shirt is inside out' Merlin flushed and looked down, seeing that Arthur was right

'How come you've been paying so much attention to my clothes Arthur?' he teased 'not even Gaius pointed that out' Arthur felt himself go red but refused to act embarrassed

'Maybe because Gaius is just so used to you looking like you just mucked out the stables'

'Because I usually _have_ been'

'Oh come off it _Mer_lin' the Prince said scornfully 'you wouldn't know a hard days work if it bit you on the backside' he grinned as Merlin spluttered incredulously next to him and then fell silent, seething. He fell behind slightly to lessen the temptation to punch the prat in the face and didn't speak until they got to the forest.

'You're such a dollop head' he murmured quietly, and Arthur was surprised at the change of tone. It wasn't light hearted or teasing any more and he glanced at his manservant curiously; Merlin's head was bowed and his eyes were on his horse's neck

Arthur rolled his eyes to hide his sudden concern

'Oh dear' he said scathingly 'have I hurt your feelings?' Merlin said nothing so Arthur had his answer 'Don't be such a _girl _Merlin!' and with that he dismounted his horse, tied it to a tree and set off without looking back. Merlin slid off his own horse less than majestically. He stomped after Arthur, not sure whether to feel angry or upset. He had saved Arthur twice this week already and it was only Wednesday. Once from a rogue horseshoe and once from the wrath of his father when he wanted to get out of a particularly tedious council meeting and Merlin pretended to be incompetent ... again. Well he was sick of it! It was one thing not getting the credit for his achievements but it was something completely different to actually think of him as lazy! It had started out as a joke, the fact that he was late a lot and the acting foolish in order to cover up had started it. Merlin supposed that he was overreacting, after all it was hardly the first time that Arthur had called him lazy; it was in fact practically a daily occurrence. But Merlin had been strung up and worn out lately; he had been working doubly hard. Gaius had been ill for the past few days and so Merlin had been helping him as much as possible. He had needed to tend to the wounded and the sick about town as _well _as his chores for Arthur _as well_ as caring for Gaius. He was exhausted and he had barely slept for a fortnight. His chores carried him well into the early hours of the morning so he only got a couple of hours rest if that, for there were always emergencies in Camelot; especially when Merlin was trying to sleep.

He also thought he might not be so tetchy if he had been allowed to eat this morning. He had missed dinner last night so he hadn't eaten since lunch, and that was only what Arthur had left and what he had managed to scavenge from his Royal Pratness' plate on the way from the kitchens, which had consisted of a roll of bread, and the cheese that Arthur doesn't like.

Arthur motioned for him to stop and crouch behind some bushes and Merlin, being lost in his thoughts bumped into him, receiving a hiss of 'Idiot' before Arthur took out a dagger. Merlin didn't watch as Arthur took down the rabbit; he still didn't agree with killing for sport, even though he admitted grudgingly that it _was _going to get eaten. Merlin grumbled as Arthur handed him the dead rabbit

'I don't see why _I_ have to carry it when you're the one who killed the damn-' he cut off suddenly, the hairs on the back of his neck prickled and he felt a presence that seemed far from friendly 'Arthur' he said, tapping the princes shoulder and scaring off the doe that had just been about to wander in front of his crossbow, Arthur spun around, livid

'Honestly Merlin I almost had her!' he cried 'And if you need to go then you should have thought of that before we left!' he was surprised when he received no reply. Merlin was staring into the woods around him, ill at ease, and very jumpy

'We have to go' he said abruptly, standing up and tugging Arthur with him. Arthur on the other hand, was not impressed

'_Mer_lin' he sighed '_I _am the Prince, _I _give the orders'

'Of course Sire' said Merlin distractedly 'we're going' he didn't tear his gaze from the trees and although Arthur felt about ready to clip him around an abnormally large ear, he noticed that Merlin seemed truly concerned. This wasn't just a ploy to get out of the hunting trip. So Arthur gathered up the crossbow, handed it to Merlin and followed him back to the horses

'I've been watching you' sounded a voice from behind them. They both whirled around. A woman was stood there, middle aged, greying brown hair that hung tangled and wild about her shoulders, she was wearing a torn green dress and no shoes. Her eyes were grey and captivating and she looked somewhat _elemental_. 'I've been watching you for a long time' she continued.

'Who are you?' interjected Merlin before Arthur could speak; he strode forwards, putting himself between the prince and the strange woman.

'My name is of no importance' said the woman, she glanced at Arthur 'it is _your _name that intrigues me Arthur Pendragon'

'Who. Are. You?' repeated Merlin accentuating every syllable. Arthur just toyed with his swords hilt; he felt the urge to say something, but it was clear that Merlin had some measure of control. He was the most confident Arthur had ever seen him, as if he had some sort of great purpose all of a sudden

'Dear me' said the woman, ignoring the raven haired boy completely, her eyes bored into Arthurs 'people always want a name to put to the face. Fine, you may call me Lilith' her eyes flashed gold as she traced her name in the air, the image remaining until Arthur spoke at last

'You're a sorcerer' the tone in his voice was flat hatred, so venomous that Merlin almost flinched. It was clear that this woman was not here simply passing through, nor was she a druid

'Yes' Lilith said matter of factly

'Then you are under arrest, by order of Camelot' Arthur drew his sword and stepped forward, he was equal to Merlin before Lilith moved at all, her eyes changed again and there was a harsh whisper, a cry of 'Arthur!' he didn't see the fireball until it exploded into the tree behind him, there was the smell of singed hair, a weight on him, and he was pressed into the earth. Merlin had pushed them both out of harms way, but before he could move he was being dragged off, dagger at his throat, Lilith held the struggling warlock easily; Merlin would not reveal himself here

'So touchingly _loyal_' she crooned dragging the blade down Merlins cheek 'Even though he treats you like dirt you _still_ protect him!'

'Why wouldn't I?' gasped Merlin, still trying to twist out of her grasp, but her magic bound him. He could shake it off if he truly wanted, but she would suspect, and then she may feel the need to announce it

'Because he doesn't care about you' she hissed in his ear 'you are _nothing _but a servant.' Merlin met Arthur's eyes; the Prince had struggled to his feet, sword unsheathed but not wanting to approach in case either of them hurt Merlin. He couldn't hear what Lilith was saying, but he knew it wasn't good

'You're wrong' Merlin insisted, strength and certainty infusing his voice 'he's my friend'

'Ha!' laughed the woman scornfully 'a friend? A friend who drags you out of Camelot to do something that you hate, without letting you eat first? Or who doesn't notice that you haven't been sleeping?'

Merlin twisted around to stare at her 'How do you know that?' he growled, Lilith shrugged

'I told you I've been watching you' she said. 'Besides, the circles under your eyes tell me as much.'

'Merlin' he heard his name carry across the gap separating them he met Arthur's eyes that were filled with worry, worry for _him, _his servant who was currently in the grip of a self proclaimed sorcerer. The prince raised his voice

'Let him go' he demanded 'Your quarrel is not with him' Lilith laughed again, her grey eyes searching the golden haired boys face

'I have no quarrel with either of you' she said, throwing Merlin to the ground and watching as he scrambled away. 'I merely want to help you young prince.'

'Help me?' Arthur echoed incredulous, raising his sword once more now that Merlin was free 'how?'

'I think that you would benefit from a little lesson.' Lilith replied, eyeing his sword with amusement, her eyes darted to Merlin who had stood once more, a little off to the side, watching her warily 'You don't appreciate what people do for you Arthur Pendragon' she said, anger crossing her features 'you condemn those with magic simply because your father tells you to, but you never stop to think that magic can be a force for good'

'How can it be a force for good?' Arthur spat 'so many have attempted the lives of my father and me with the evil. I have never had a reason to believe otherwise!'

'Only because you refuse to look!' Lilith raised her voice 'There are motives behind those people; revenge for what your father took away, what he destroyed.' She took a deep breath 'But I am not here because I am bitter about the past' she rose both hands in front of her 'I want to help you. I want to make you understand what your subjects do for you. You are a good prince, Arthur, but you are arrogant. And you expect far too much from your people. Maybe if you can see it with your own eyes then you will change. And maybe then you will become a great king' her eyes flashed gold once more and before Merlin could do anything, she was gone, leaving behind only a wisp of smoke.

Merlin turned to look at Arthur, to make sure he was alright.

Arthur wasn't there.

'Arthur!' Merlin cried out in panic, rushing towards the spot where the prince had been. He ran into something solid and fell back. 'Arthur?' A gauntlet appeared out of midair and struck him on the shoulder. Merlins eyes widened, staring up at the seemingly empty space

'Arthur' he breathed again. Pushing himself to his feet he slowly reached his hands out. They connected with solid air, he ran his hands over what was the shape of a breastplate, then he ghosted over shoulders, he felt a _thunk _to the side of his head and retracted his hands

'Ow! Ok, sorry' he said 'But you're _invisible_' another _thunk_ 'stop that!' he rubbed his head. 'Can you speak? Try saying something' he waited for a moment. Nothing. Merlin grinned 'Well, at least some good came out of this.' He ducked, knowing that Arthur would try to hit him again. He straightened up and shook his head; his grin was gone, replaced by a mournful look that made Arthur anxious 'what in the name of Camelot am I going to tell your father?'

**So there you have it. The first chapter. Did you like it? It's different from my usual style and I'm not sure how I feel about it :/**

**Please let me know. I can always rewrite it if you don't like it**

**Any and all ideas are welcome**

**Thanks for reading**

**Love you all**

**Love Tibbins xx**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey everyone :) I know I haven't updated this in ages, I'm sorry. I'm coming up to my Theatre exam, and another play I'm in is in a few weeks so my life has been rehearsing. But i finished my Glee fic (FINALLY) and thought that I had really better update my Merlin**

**I don't own Merlin ... Arthur does ;)**

**I hope you like it :D**

**This chapter is dedicated to ... Bottled Sunshine. Thank you for your review ^.^ (And to everyone else who reviewed too :D a big thank you)**

**Enjoy ^.^**

The journey back to Camelot was an uneventful one … well, as uneventful as could be expected while having to calm a horse that was taking its instructions from an invisible rider. It was a quiet ride; Merlin was trying to puzzle out what to tell the King, and Arthur … well … Merlin couldn't hear him, so whether he was speaking or not was irrelevant. They passed people as they neared Camelot. The spooked horse following Merlin got a lot of stares. Arthur felt uncomfortable, even though he knew that they couldn't see him, he didn't like having all those eyes on him. Arthur had to tug on Merlins sleeve when they dismounted, and practically led him to his chambers. Then he slammed the door behind him in frustration.

'Touchy' Merlin teased; but then he stared at the door, and got that stupidly goofy grin on his face.

'What?' Arthur tried to say, before he remembered, so he poked his manservant instead

'You just moved the door' Merlin said proudly as if this was a great revelation. Arthur rolled his eyes at the predictable uselessness 'And you can throw gauntlets and hit me' he poked Merlin again, hard 'Ow! Stop it! Look, can you write?' he gestured to the desk where a pile of rolled up parchment and an eagle feather quill sat. Merlin watched gratefully as the quill seemed to be picked up and brought to the parchment, leaving an inky trail behind it

'Thank Camelot' he breathed. 'Then you can write what happened! And bring the quill and ink with you in case you need to write any more.' Arthur dutifully wrote out the story of how he had gotten into this pickle then stowed the quill and ink bottle in his tunic, watching Merlin blink as the two items seemed to vanish. Merlin shook his head as he headed towards the throne room, gingerly he knocked on the door, he gulped as the guards opened them inwards to reveal the King, and then fell flat on his face as Arthur pushed him from behind. Uther rolled his eyes

'What do you want boy?' Merlin scrambled up nervously

'Sire, while me and Prince Arthur were out hunting …' he stopped, and took a deep breath 'there was an incident' Uther was on his feet and striding towards him, all the blood drained from his face and a dangerous glint in his eye

'What sort of incident?' he growled in Merlin's face, Merlin's mouth gaped and Arthur poked him in his side, bringing out the parchment he shoved it towards his father. Uther stumbled back with a cry of 'Sorcery!'

'Yes' said Merlin 'but not by me' he added hurriedly. Uther took the parchment and read it, eyes wide. Then he closed them and took a deep breath.

'Where is my son?' he whispered.

'In here somewhere' Merlin squeaked. 'He's … he's invisible Sire.'

'Yes I can see that' the King snapped, his gaze swept the room 'Or rather, I can't see that. Arthur, show me where you are'

A goblet was swept onto the floor. Merlin hurried to pick it up again. Arthur rolled his eyes. Why Merlin was never that adept for _him _was a mystery. As his manservant blushed furiously Arthur strode up to his father and tapped him on the shoulder, scowling as Uther flinched violently before composing himself. He could tell already that this whole invisible thing was going to get old fast.

When the King was satisfied that Arthur was truly there and not some conjured apparition he tried to address the situation of what to do about it. Merlin flushed even deeper when Uther spoke directly to him, and mumbled something about having to talk to Gaius. And Arthur wasn't particularly forthcoming. He kept writing things down only to scratch them out as one by one, he deemed them useless. Soon he ran out of parchment and took out his frustration on the (thankfully) empty goblet, and the (luckily) quick footed Merlin. When Uther realised he was getting nowhere, he dismissed his invisible son and his manservant with a wave of his hand and a sigh. He would send for Gaius first thing in the morning he decided. Gaius was an old man and it was getting late. Besides, Arthur was in no true danger.

Merlin made his way back to Arthur's chambers and stood holding the door open for an awkwardly long time until Arthur threw a pillow at him.

'Sorry Arthur but this is really confusing' he said, throwing the pillow back at the bed, and tried not to smirk as the pillow connected with something a little above the bed. Arthur grumbled silently as he tossed the pillow off his lap.

'Arthur?' the Prince turned to look at Merlin, who was stood in the middle of the room, hands on hips 'You'll have to get yourself ready for bed' he said shortly, then he walked around the room, collecting various goblets and gauntlets and daggers and apples that Arthur had seen fit to throw at him (the dagger was an accident … he hoped, never again would he try to pull the pillows out from under a sleeping Arthurs head with something sharp on the nightstand) as he did so, Merlin felt the exhaustion from the long ride and the stress of meeting Lilith creeping up on him. He also felt the pangs of hunger from a day of not eating. But he ignored both as he puttered about the room, gathering his polishing materials. Arthur's chainmail apparently needed mending and his sword needed sharpening as well. If he did it now then he wouldn't have as much to do tomorrow, so he dropped to the floor and began to polish the breastplate.

Arthur watched on, smiling at his manservant, whose tongue stuck out slightly in concentration, legs crossed like a childs; with such a gangly frame it should have looked awkward but with Merlin it was almost … graceful, in a completely ridiculous and idiotic way of course. He shrugged off his jacket and dropped it to the floor, chuckling when Merlin shot a glare to Arthur's shoulder before resuming polishing.

'Obviously folding them would be too much to ask', Merlin grumbled as Arthur's shirt joined the pile of clothes. Merlin scrubbed at the metal viciously, suddenly in a sour mood. Arthur noticed this and grinned, stepping out of his trousers he pulled on his night ones, picking up the others, he draped them over Merlin's head. With a surprised squawk Merlin instinctively ducked, banging his head on the breastplate as his did so, and his cry became a curse as Arthur doubled over in silent laughter

'It's not funny' Merlin snapped, managing to extract himself from the royal pants and rubbing his head 'I know your laughing Arthur. Stop it!' Arthur couldn't stop, his hands on his thighs he gasped for breath, dashing the tears of mirth from his eyes he managed to straighten up, choking back the last few chuckles he smiled fondly at his manservant. Merlin was pouting, cloth in one of his hands, arms tightly folded he glared up at the ceiling, a red mark on his temple. Arthur patted him on the shoulder and was glad that Merlin couldn't hear his laugh as the raven haired boy shrugged away from his hand and, with the expression of a sulking child continued polishing. Arthur sat down next to Merlin and punched him gently in the arm. Merlin tried to bite back a smile, knowing that Arthur would have that damn crooked grin on his face; the one that lit up the entire room and made it impossible for Merlin to hold a grudge. So he leant sideways and butted his shoulder against Arthurs to show he was forgiven. Arthur went over to get a clean piece of parchment and scribbled something before placing it on the breastplate

_That's better_

Merlin grinned 'Thanks' he said. He finished the polishing and mending and stood, swaying slightly with exhaustion and headed towards the door; looking forward to collapsing into bed, perhaps grabbing some bread or something on the way. The sword could wait.

**So ... What did you think? I kinda wanted to go for the nice (if slightly eccentric) Uther because as evil as he is, I have to love him ^.^**

**Did you like?**

**Please let me know :D**

**Love Tibbins xx**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey everyone :D EXAMS ARE NOW OVER YAY! **

**I know have ample time to write ^.^ I still hadn't though because I'm super lazy and a very mean person for leaving you all fanfic-less**

**I will dedicate this chapter to Elliej939 who reminded me of the pressing need to update**

**I don't own Merlin or it would not be able to be viewed before nine ;)**

**Hope you enjoy :D**

Merlin woke as the sun decided to shine right in his eyes. Grumbling he rolled out of bed and dressed quickly, he could tell that he was already late, he had a sixth sense like that. . . it had nothing to do with the fact that the sun was up and Gaius was banging on the door at all. He took the apple that Gaius was holding out for him, gave him a quick smile of thanks and almost ran down to the kitchens to grab the prince's breakfast. He put his half eaten apple on the tray and walked as fast as possible without dropping it.

He opened the door with his back and placed the tray on the table with an apologetic 'I know I'm late but …' but he was spared having to actually think of an excuse (which would probably involve woodworm) when he noticed that there was still a distinguishable lump in the bed and the curtains were still closed.

Merlin stepped towards the sleeping prince, and blinked hard. It was disconcerting, seeing his Arthur's form under the sheet but not being able to see his head. Shaking himself he went to the window and drew back the curtains with a bright 'Rise and shine!' (his personal favourite had been 'let's have you lazy daisy' but had decided that the torture would not be worth an invisible Arthur's face).

There was a movement in the sheets and Merlin took the opportunity of his masters groggy state to remove all projectiles from arms length.

'Breakfast sire' he said with a cheerful grin and the realisation that he had probably interrupted a perfectly constructed insult (seriously though, did Arthur have a _record _ of all the different ways to point out his flaws? … Merlin refused to believe that it was simply wit)

As he stood there grinning _like an idiot _Arthur thought out loud, the prince himself had clambered out of bed and made his way yawning to the table, naked. Despite not having to suffer the pointed looks from his manservant (although his embarrassment was always amusing) he also didn't have to worry about anyone dropping in unannounced. People did that sometimes. Admittedly it was usually Merlin, seeing as how he had _completely _ignored all of those 'being a proper servant' talks that included _knocking__, _but that didn't mean that other people forgot that the prince was not _always_ completely decent all of the time... it made for some awkward situations with chambermaids sent by his father. Arthur could definitely see some of the perks of this whole being invisible thing. After all, he could get out of any training he was supposed to be doing with the knights seeing as he could hardly show them where to improve, and it really wouldn't be fair to fight them while invisible... shame, _that_ would have been fun. Still, Leon could take over.

Meetings could also be avoided seeing as he could pretend he knew nothing about them. After all nobody could say that they had _seen_ him receiving instructions... people could be talking to thin air.

Arthur looked at the already bitten apple on his plate. _Really _he thought with a grin _Merlin's getting greedy. _He was never usually so dim as to put his food _back _after he had eaten it. He rolled his eyes, hefted the apple and launched it. Merlin yelped and jumped a mile as the flying fruit hit the headboard with a loud _thunk_.

'Arthur!' he cried out indignantly, he picked up the apple gingerly and inspected it; it was a little bruised but still edible. He turned towards the table, hands on hips and spoke to the chair by the plate of food 'this is my breakfast!' he folded his arms and frowned 'Prat'

He then grinned smugly, and Arthur grudgingly admitted to himself that any brilliant insult would be useless if there was no one who could hear it. So Arthur pouted

'I know you're sulking' said Merlin, sounding more like a certain disapproving physician than a servant 'and just so you know, that apple was _mine_. In fact' he continued, lifting up the offending fruit and waving it in Arthurs general direction '_this _is all that I have eaten since breakfast _yesterday_!' Assuming that Arthur was suitably guilty, Merlin turned away from him and set about making the bed, biting into the apple as he worked, his empty stomach grumbled in appreciation as Arthur sat there watching him. He wanted to apologise to Merlin, but writing it down would just be humiliating and Arthur was nothing if not proud. Instead, he got up and reached out a hand to place on his manservants shoulder. He squeezed lightly, and tired to ignore the (cute?) little smirk on the idiots face. Merlin nodded in silent thanks and Arthur withdrew, feeling his face heat up, glad that Merlin couldn't see. Merlin finished his task, gathered up his things and called out to Arthur before he left.

'If you could be out of your room around noon I'd appreciate it' he said, brandishing a cloth 'I was going to wash the floor' then he was gone. Arthur heard a clatter and an 'oof' and grinned, assuming that the clumsy boy had dropped something. Making his way through the open door he saw that he was right. He gazed down at his manservant with an amused smirk on his face as Merlin grumbled and stretched out to pick up the bucket. As he did so, his ragged shirt was lifted to show what should have been milky white skin, but instead revealed _very _prominent ribs. Retrieving the bucket, Merlin got to his feet and brushed himself down. Adjusting his shirt back in place he hefted the bucket and hurried down the corridor, leaving a very confused and concerned prince behind him. He decided to at least allow him to finish eating next time he had the sudden urge to hunt.

Merlin sharpened Arthurs sword in record time and made his way to Gaius' chambers. Gaius was talking at a chair animatedly while he flipped through the yellowed pages of heavy tomes, it took Merlin aback somewhat and he stared in bewilderment at the old man, wondering if he had finally lost it  
>'Um … Gaius' he began slowly, speaking as he would to a small child … or Arthur 'what are you doing?' the physician turned to him and relief spread over his features<br>'Merlin!' he exclaimed 'Didn't you know? Arthur is invisible! Uther brought him to me and asked me to find a way to break the enchantment so I've been researching and …'  
>'Gaius' Merlin interjected, 'that chair is empty' the old man blinked at him<br>'Merlin' Gaius repeated in the same patronising tone 'I know it _looks_ that way but Arthur is _invisible_'  
>'He is' Merlin agreed, 'but if he was in this room he would have thrown something at me by now' the warlock made his way over to the chair and flopped into it, raising an eyebrow at Gaius' huge eyes and gaping mouth, his lips twitched upwards 'what?'<br>'You just sat on the crown prince of Camelot!'  
>'He's not here Gaius' Merlin rubbed the back of his neck, he wanted to know if Gaius had found anything 'look, did you -'<br>'Do you mean to tell me' the physician said slowly 'that I have been talking to an _empty chair _for the past _hour_?' Merlin snorted and nodded, looking at the father figure pityingly  
>'Yep!' he announced cheerfully, biting back a laugh as Gaius fumed 'but did you really expect him to hang around once you got those books out? You <em>know <em>how much he hates anything academic'  
>'A little like someone else I know' Gaius said with a pointed look at his ward, Merlin grinned<br>'so did you _find_ anything?'

_XXX_

Arthur seethed quietly in the corner, not that it mattered whether he was quiet or not, it was with a tiny twinge of guilt that he listened to Gaius blather on and on about things he wasn't paying attention to, the only reason that he had left the chair at all was because he knew that Merlin would be finishing his chores about now and so he had escaped the inevitable squash then thump that would have followed had he stayed were he was; plus... he was curious. Merlin and Gaius were closer than he and his own father were, they holed themselves up in their chambers a _lot … _especially if there was a crisis , and they had a habit of ceasing to talk if anyone so much as walked past the door, it was rather infuriating, what with the silent conversations that happened whenever they so much as _looked _at each other... Arthur was the _Prince _dammit! He should know _everything _that went on in his castle.

Gaius nodded at his ward gravely

'With a spell so obvious, there is no _natural_ remedy. There has to be a counter-spell, but I can't find it anywhere but if -'

'And if we find it then what?' Merlin interjected with a glance around the room which Arthur found intriguing 'Magic is forbidden, and even if it _wasn't_, neither of us know how to...' he trailed off with a pointed look at Gaius who just stared at Merlin with a slight frown 'It isn't safe to talk about such things' he continued

'You said Arthur wasn't here'

'Just because he wasn't then doesn't mean he won't walk past. And we won't hear him if he does. It just isn't safe' there was an almost frantic look in Merlin's blue eyes that made the Prince's curiosity peak, they were discussing the use of magic, but they weren't _planning _to use it, Merlin had just said they couldn't after all. Merlin and Arthur discussed magic quite a lot and it's not like talking about magic was banned, just practising it... He wasn't his father after all, it hurt Arthur that his manservant seemed to think him so harsh.

Gaius held his hands up in a placating gesture

'All right Merlin' the old man said, turning around to slice some bread for supper 'We won't speak of it until Arthur is visible again'

There was something going on with Merlin, Arthur thought, scowling at the two secretive men in front of him. And he was going to find out what.

**So did you like it? Did you think the ending a little rushed? I did but I couldn't figure out how to rectify it, I'm a little rusty :'(**

**I hope you liked it anyway, please let me know if you have any comments or ****criticisms**

**Love you all**

**Love Tibbins xx**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey guys ... Late again I know :( I'm sorry, to be fair I haven't had my laptop in over a week but still,**

** I agree with **Reverie Indigo **So this chapter is dedicated to you... Also... I would LOVE to write some invisible Arthur porn stuff... I think I have to get the plot there first though ;)**

**I don't own Merlin or there would be much more kissing ... **

**This is quite a short chapter but tbh I have no idea where this story is heading so I'm trying to write it as it comes to me. Ideas would be helpful and appreciated and ofc you would get the credit :)**

**Enjoy ^.^**

Arthur made his way back to his chambers after a rather fun-filled afternoon. He had 'overseen' the training of his knights by occasionally throwing pebbles at one from beside another, this caused a lot of confusion and a couple of amusing fights, in which all rigorous training was forgotten and instead they scrapped like cats. Leon had to pull apart Gwaine and Elyan who were spitting insults at each other that mostly consisted of 'You're stupid' and 'you smell' Leon was then further bemused when Elyan 'tripped' and both knights ended up in hysterics because Percival 'tripped' over him, Gwaine laughed so much he fell on top of them, and they rolled around together in a muddy, giggly heap. Arthur laughed silently. Glad to have been a help. He knew that Leon was not as demanding in his training as Arthur was so the knights relished the time to slack off a little, despite his annoyance that they weren't as disciplined as they pretended to be. He had known that Gwaine would overreact to the initial pebble due to his grumbles about how wine, mead, ale and pickled eggs were a bad idea and his very un-knightly talk about the owner of the local tavern who apparently had 'no appreciation of the arts' which meant that Gwaine had gotten drunk last night and was chucked out after singing on the roof again.

After his knights had wandered off to the tavern arm in arm, Arthur decided to roam around the castle and see what his useless manservant was up to. He found Merlin in the stables, covered with hay and patiently shovelling up horse dung, Arthur laughed at the state of him, as Merlin dusted off his hands and picked up the wheelbarrow he slipped and with a cry, fell backwards, landing on his back and tipping the wheelbarrow over. Dung and smelly straw flew everywhere and Merlin lay gasping where he had landed; winded, he sat up, rubbing his back. He stood slowly, one hand on the wall to support himself, he blinked and looked around at the newly made mess, dust was everywhere and the wheelbarrow was almost empty again. He cursed, and righted the barrow, grabbing the pitchfork he thrust it into the mound of straw and dung, wincing a little as he bent. Merlin worked, grumbling under his breath, this was a setback. Now he'd be late finishing the rest of his chores, depending on how long it took him to right this mess he might have to miss his lunch break altogether … again. That and Arthur would be very annoyed at a late supper and give him other things to do so Gaius would be irritated that the floor would remain dirty another day, and probably make him clean the leech tank again as punishment for tardiness. Merlin hated these days, where everyone was mad at him because of one moment of clumsiness. He scowled at the wheelbarrow, resisting the urge to kick it.

Arthur meanwhile was still laughing, tears of mirth were running down his face and he was bent double, holding his stomach. He looked up a while later to see Merlin curse and grumble, rubbing his back and leaning heavily on the wall. Arthur sobered immediately and scooted round to make sure his manservant wasn't _really_ hurt. Then, as if worried he was doing something nice, the turned on his heel and decided to give Merlin a few extra chores as a punishment for making him worry. . .

_Merlin's taking at least three times longer than usual_ Arthur thought angrily as he paced in his newly-cleaned chamber waiting for his servant to arrive with food and a goofy grin. Merlin however, was heading towards the kitchens, well aware of his lateness but in too bad a mood to do anything about it. He hadn't realised just how much he relied on his magic to do the little things in his chores, bringing the scrubbing brush into reach for example, or levitating the armour for him to clean so his arms wouldn't get tired, it was difficult to resist the temptation but he managed. Getting his chores done the normal way was the lesser of two evils as opposed to losing his head. As it was he was exhausted. It wouldn't have been so bad if he didn't have quadruple the workload of a normal servant and masters who were used to these things getting done. He hadn't eaten except his apple at breakfast and he was starving, So as he stomped with a tray of food up to the Princes chambers he swiped a slice of ham and sighed in relief as it settled in his empty stomach. Feeling slightly more cheerful, Merlin pushed open the door and set the tray on the table

'Food sire'

One of the chairs moved and the tray was pulled in the direction of the hungry prince. But before the food started to disappear, he got a clobber on the head, it hurt all the more because he hadn't seen it coming

'Ow! I know I'm late, I'm sorry' he said, lifting his hand to his hair and rubbing where Arthur had struck. A roll of parchment appeared and unrolled before him titled 'Extra chores' … The list was at least a foot long. Merlin groaned

'Oh come on!' he exclaimed, annoyed 'This is going to keep me up all night! Plus I have chores that Gaius wants me to do and … OW! Stop that!' the goblet clattered to the floor, after ricocheting off Merlin's shoulder, the boy flushed with anger, 'You really don't realise everything I do for you do you? I've practically given my _life_ for you repeatedly, I do absolutely _everything _you ask of me and you repay that by giving me _more_ to do? I've barely eaten this week and I didn't get to sleep until the third bell this morning! I really don't have time to give in to your pettiness!' he took a breath, almost shocked at his own words; there was silence, obviously. Merlin figured that the prince was laughing at him. He snatched up the list, regretting his outburst he bowed awkwardly

'I'll get them done sire'

He breathed heavily as he left the room, leaning his back against the wall he took a moment of privacy to clear his head. He wouldn't sleep tonight, unlikely he would eat either. Gaius would be furious and he still probably wouldn't get everything done without magic, but he couldn't risk it with Arthur able to wander around unseen. He sighed and rubbed his face with his hands before glancing at the list and making his way down to the armoury to mend the dents in Arthur's armour.

Arthur had followed Merlin out the door and frowned in concern at his manservants reaction. He was tempted to take the list of chores away from him and pat him on the shoulder, but just as he was about to take a step forward, Merlin pushed himself away from the wall and began walking away from Arthur's chambers. Arthur realised that his arm was still reaching forward as if to comfort his friend, he coughed awkwardly and pulled back, but followed him anyway. It wasn't like him to feel guilty, but Merlin seemed so tightly strung lately and his outburst of frustration had deepened that concern. He really was a Prat. The look on Merlin's face had changed from exasperation to something akin to fear. Combine that with his and Gaius' increasing secretive behaviour and what Merlin had actually said, and the result was an almost worried prince. Reaching a conclusion that it could be dangerous to let Merlin out of his sight he followed at a safe distance; resolving to cut down Merlin's chores, at least until this whole working himself to death thing blew over.

**So... What do you think? Not the best chapter I know. I'm a little rusty, but anything could happen and I hope for improvement**

**I'll try to make something important happen next chapter. **

**Please let me know if there are any ideas or views or ... anything really**

**Thanks guys**

**Love you all**

**Love Tibbins xx**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey guys, the timing on this is a significant improvement :D I'm glad to say I'm getting back into it**

**I'm trying to establish the relationship between Arthur and Merlin in this chapter rather than further the plot, mostly because I have no idea where this story is heading. But the main bit that was in my head is now in this chapter. See if you can guess which bit it is ;)**

**As per usual I don't own Merlin or any of it's plots or characters etc**

**This chapter is for ** Eliptikus **because I want to answer her query that it's Merthur all the way ... for the record I really hate Gwen xD and because I especially loved your review,**

**So here you are :D**

**Enjoy ^.^**

As Arthur watched Merlin work, he noticed how … _restrained _he seemed. As if he was trying really hard not to do something; a few times he reached his hand out towards an object, only to shake himself, look around furtively and reach over to pick up whatever it was. He also looked tired the prince saw as he watched almost fondly at his manservant rubbing his hand over his eyes for the fourth time. Merlin and Lilith had been right, he _didn't _realise just how much he expected from Merlin, and how far the idiot went for him. He had followed Merlin half-expecting him to ignore the chores and head for Gaius' chambers. But no, here he was in the armoury, watching as his manservant did things that manservants _should_ do.  
>Arthur was jerked back to reality as Merlin dropped the hammer he was holding, put Arthur's shield back and shook his arms to clear them of the ache a little, he then reached with his left arm to massage his right shoulder. Face scrunched in discomfort Merlin sighed and leaned back against the wooden table leg behind him, he then glanced at the piece of parchment next to him and traced his finger over the chore he had just completed, groaning when he realised he still had one more thing to do. Arthur squirmed guiltily, as Merlin stood and headed out to groom the horses, it had been a rather long list; and there were stable-hands whose job it was to care for the horses, getting Merlin to do their job too was petty and mean.<br>He bit his lip uncomfortably as he followed the raven haired boy to the stables. Merlin picked up the brush and almost immediately dropped it again, he rolled his eyes before bending over to pick it up. Arthur couldn't help but notice that Merlin's butt was waving about in the air

_And a very nice butt it is too_ he mused before his eyes widened and were averted and he coughed 'loudly' being suddenly very glad that he was invisible because he knew he had turned as red as Merlins stupid neckerchief.

By this time, Merlin had straightened up, heading towards Arthurs stallion, the great brown beast snorted in derision and Merlin chuckled at how alike he sounded to his master. Merlin made a soothing noise in his throat and quieted the animal, moving forward to stroke and brush him. The horse stamped his back leg impatiently, a gesture that would have warded off the stable-hands but Merlin ignored him and persisted in his task, reaching round to stroke the magnificent beasts muzzle, it snorted again, as if insisting Merlin leave him be, but Merlin continued and the horse nuzzled the boy gently, as if he had passed some kind of test of patience. He was quiet from then on, except for the occasional wicker, Arthur even noticed that the horse seemed to lean into Merlin's touch. He was amazed, his stallion was notoriously difficult, the bane of the stable-hands, he only behaved for Arthur because the prince rode him hard and tolerated none of his tricks. All Merlin had done was stroke him a little, and murmur a few soft words. It was … beautiful. It made Arthur look at his servant in a different way, as if the idiot surrounding his manservant had faded away, leaving only a calm, ethereal boy, whose alabaster skin seemed to glow in the moonlight from the window, the boy and the horse bonded, and the master looked on, feeling irrational tears pricking his eyes. It was moving, it touched him, but he wasn't sure why.

After Merlin had finished, he backed away with one last pat to the horses flank before turning to leave the stable. The first bell had already gone and had Arthur decided not to follow his manservant, he would have been asleep by now. Merlin headed back to Gaius' chambers, Arthur followed at a distance, not really sure why, seeing as Merlin was probably just going to sleep. He saw Merlin slip inside, only to hear the raised and angry voice of Gaius from within

'What sort of time do you call this Merlin?' he asked 'I asked you to clean the floor this afternoon but instead you wander off and don't reappear until the first bell!'

'I'm sorry Gaius' said Merlin meekly 'Arthur gave me a huge list of extra chores to do, I just finished' Arthur heard Gaius huff something else but it was drowned out by the sound of Arthur's stomach rumbling, he hadn't eaten since lunch, having missed dinner because he was spying on Merlin, he could only imagine how his manservant felt, seeing as all he had had was that piece of ham (yes he knew) and that had been just after midday, that guilt joined the queue for his attention, there really was a lot about Merlin that he never noticed before. Like just how much he was expected to _do_. Arthur shook his golden hair out of his eyes before tuning back in, apparently Merlin was hungry too

'Is there any food left?' his tone was hopeful

'There's some bread and and cheese on the table' said the old man gruffly; Arthur knew that no matter how annoyed with the boy he was, the physician in him wouldn't let Merlin pass up an actual meal. Arthur listened to the grateful sound Merlin made before walking past the door and back to his own chambers. As he shut his door behind him he stopped for a second, remembering back to a simpler time, when he hadn't cared about silly things like his servant's feelings, but now he did; so he sighed as he bent down to remove his muddy boots, leaving them neatly by the door and shuffling towards his bed in his socks, when he got there he sat down on the bed and unbuckled his belt, he laid that next to him and then stood, letting his pants drop to the floor, he stepped out of them and then picked them up and folded them, placing them at the foot of the bed next to his belt, he then pulled his shirt over his head before folding that too and adding to the pile of neatness, lastly he took off his socks and put them on top. Rubbing his eyes he crawled into bed and did his best not to remember the glow of Merlin's skin in the stables, or the soothing sound of his voice as he approached the horse or the sway of his backside as he bent to pick up whatever he had dropped. And he definitely wasn't getting aroused by not thinking of such things. The prince turned over and shut his eyes, resisting the urge to take those non-thoughts any further.

Merlin lay down on his bed, tossing and turning. He didn't like Arthur being invisible, he wanted to be able to see him again, not using magic at all was killing him. It physically hurt to keep his power bottled up and he wasn't sure how much longer he could take it. He was used to hiding but he had also been used to releasing little bursts of magic so he didn't explode, now he had no outlet and even now he couldn't be certain that Arthur wasn't in the room with him. It was too great a risk and it wasn't worth it. He couldn't risk their years of friendship with one, tiny, irrelevant spell. If Arthur was going to find out, it would have to be through there being no other choice. He would reveal himself to save Arthur's life, but nothing else. He shuddered as the magic surged throughout his body. He wasn't going to be sleeping tonight.

But as he shifted onto his back to stare at the ceiling, he admitted that that wasn't the only reason he wanted Arthur visible again, as weird as it sounded, he missed him. He missed watching his eyes roll and he missed the sarcastic sound of his voice, he missed the way his blue eyes lit up when Merlin fell over or said something stupid, he missed his laugh and the way his hair shone in the sunlight, he missed those moments when even _he_ realised he was being a prat and he would apologise with his eyes. He couldn't do that now. Merlin missed those looks that held entire conversations and most of all he missed that connection they shared, their easy friendship and the unwilling appreciation of the other's company.

Merlin sighed and turned over, facing away from the window. He was doomed.

**So... what do you think? Do you like it? **

**Any ideas on what you want to happen?**

**Let me know :)**

**Love you all**

**Love Tibbins xx **


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey guys, I'm despicable I know :( ... sorry. I haven't had much inspiration lately plus the whole, going back to school thing and stupid stuff like personal statements and homework have kept me pretty busy. **

**But then today ... OH MY GOD! Good episode or what? I mean, the alien thing was a bit weird but there was so much Merthur that I squeed repeatedly ... and not forgetting of course the fact that Percival and Gwaine were SHIRTLESS for the majority of the episode ... I mean, YUM!**

**Ahem ... anyway it's quite a short one as I still don't have much of an idea where this is going.**

**WARNING: It will probably be quite a while before I can update again (but I guess you're used to that by now ... sorry again :/ )**

**This one is for ****Legolas's Mione0233**

**I hope you enjoy**

Merlin was early for once, he didn't have to rush for breakfast which he actually ate, plus he made extra porridge for Gaius when he woke up too. He walked down to the kitchens, taking extra care on the stairs. He hadn't slept at all last night. The only reason that he was early was because he got bored with waiting for dawn, now it was just after and Merlin pushed open the door to Arthur's chambers with his hip and crept in to place the tray on the table. He glanced at the lump in the bed and sat down heavily, rubbing his eyes. He did a double take at the bed as something odd registered, there, on the end were Arthur's clothes … Arthur's _folded_ clothes, Merlin couldn't help the smile that crept onto his face. Arthur must have come across him last night in the armoury and decided that he had been harsh. He looked away, and noticed the boots by the door. Merlin was touched. This gesture was unbelievably un-Arthur-like. It was almost … sweet. Merlin's smile widened as he stood to open the curtains, with a hearty call of

'Rise and shine!'

The bedclothes moved suddenly in such a way that suggested Arthur sat suddenly upright. Chuckling, Merlin pointed to the breakfast tray and grinned. As Arthur ate, Merlin stared at where he was supposed to be, sitting opposite the invisible prince, Merlin rested his chin on his hands and attempted to make eye contact. He was sure he got it when Arthur raised some bread, only to stop and slowly put it down again. Merlin smiled softly, aware that even folding clothes was a big leap forwards to Arthur. He nodded towards the clothes he had moved to the table

'Thank you Arthur' he said, waiting a moment to allow Arthur to see he really meant it. Then he stood and picked up the pile of clothes to take them down to wash them. He stopped suddenly when a hand landed on his shoulder and squeezed. instinctively he tensed and his magic surged under his skin causing him to shudder, he fought it back as he realised it was only Arthur. He couldn't help the smile that came, but he didn't look round, knowing he wouldn't see anything. Instead he raised his hand to touch the invisible fingers by his neck; they stayed that way for a few seconds before Merlin realised that he was going red. He left as quickly as possible.

After Merlin left the room, Arthur was left staring at the empty doorway. Lips slightly parted, a word about to leave them. After realising the fruitlessness of speaking, he closed his mouth again and smiled thinly. For a brief moment there, he had wanted to call his manservant back, just to prolong that touch. It had been so charged with feeling and emotion. A connection they hadn't been able to share since they met Lilith. For the first time since that day, Arthur truly wanted to reverse this spell; he now saw it as something more than a mere inconvenience and an excuse to shirk his responsibilities, it separated him from Merlin for the first time in five years and he didn't like that feeling. At all. He felt so far away from his friend, despite the physical distance. Their relationship was based on banter and understanding, they could barely continue the banter without Arthur feeling slow. Upholding the understanding they shared through eye contact and secret smiles was now impossible. And Arthur wasn't about to start actually _talking _(or writing)about how he felt. He wasn't a _girl_. It was past time Gaius figured out how to break this spell. Plus, Merlin didn't seem to be coping well either judging by the circles under his eyes even though he had no reason to not sleep, people could still _see _him after all . . . which was rather unfortunate come to think of it, after all, servants weren't supposed to be seen, they were just supposed to do their jobs and not become friends with princes. Merlin was just awkward. Anyway, he was going to go to Gaius right now and find out everything he could on this stupid spell.

On his way he passed a distracted looking Merlin, heading from Gaius' chambers and down in the direction of the courtyard leading to the South Gate. Arthur stared for a moment and decided whether or not to follow him. In the end he shrugged. It was probably just a herb gathering quest or something... Arthur did NOT want to get involved with something like that again after the last time he agreed to go and help and almost ended up poisoning himself after picking an apparently harmless mushroom. Thank goodness Merlin had been there to snatch the damned thing away before he ate it. He couldn't do that if he was invisible. So instead he turned right to the strange smells of Gaius' various and apparently 'healthy' concoctions. He poked the physician gently in the back to let him know he was there (causing the old man to jump) He then grabbed a clean sheet of parchment and a quill, and wrote down his question. Gaius shook his head, looking somewhere around Arthurs left ear

'Sorry sire, the only thing I can find about the restorative potion is that the ingredients involve the use of an actual spell, which I have found, but for obvious reasons cannot perform. It also requires a potion with some rather far ranging herbs. And also some sort of … sacrifice. I'm not entirely sure what that entails but it didn't sound promising. Also, it states rather clearly that if the counter-spell is attempted unsuccessfully, well …' Now Gaius was staring at his knees 'I'm afraid it will become permanent.' He paused. To allow Arthur to absorb this information. 'Unless of course, Lilith decides to remove it for us _before _we try to just brew the potion'

**Sooo ... any thoughts? Ideas? Improvements? Anything at all?**

**Everything is welcome :)**

**Love you all**

**Tibbins xx**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey guys :D This is the fastest I've updated for a while xD I'm trying to write some every day. Plus it's half term now, YAY ^.^ So after I get my coursework done I should be able to get on with this**

**I want to take this opportunity to thank you guys for being so patient, I know I'm really temperamental, so thanks for sticking with me**

**I still don't have a definite plot in mind for this story, but we'll get there in the end**

**I don't own Merlin or it's characters or blah blah blah**

**This chapter is dedicated to a very certain 'Guest'. I don't know who you actually are but you're reviews have made me smile and want to write so thank you :)**

**Enjoy ^.^**

Merlin was just walking across the courtyard with some logs for one of the sentry fires when a riderless horse almost bowled him over. He dropped the logs and stared stupidly for a second before realizing that the rider was Arthur.

'Arthur!' he shouted, just as the horse galloped out of the castle gate. Merlin cursed and ran to the stables, acquiring his own horse to chase after the prince. Urging his mare into a gallop, he followed the trail of dust in Arthur's wake.

Arthur heard the shout and his eyes rolled. Great. Just what he needed. Now he'd have to look after Merlin, and he _wouldn't be able to tell him to shut up_. He groaned, resigned to his fate. After all, perhaps finding the sorceress would be easier if he could talk to her and Albion knew just how much Merlin did _that. _It was only now, as he neared the forest that he realised even if he _could _talk, he would have had no idea what to say. And the prince of Camelot did not _beg_. Merlin could do it on his behalf. He slowed his horse enough to allow the manservant to catch up.

'What were you _thinking?_' Merlin raved a few minutes later as they trotted through a glade. His initial anger had calmed down but he was still repeating the same point over and over 'Do you have _any_ idea how _stupid_ it is to just run off when you're _invisible_? How would we know to start looking for you? We wouldn't have noticed you'd _gone_! And we wouldn't have been able to find you anyway, especially if you got_ injured_, did you think for one second what this would do to your _father_? To _Camelot_? To_ me_?' Arthur blinked at that one and stared at his angry manservant curiously, he didn't usually make himself the centre of an argument as to why Arthur shouldn't do anything fun, but the boy had drawn breath 'I have a hard enough time trying to protect you as it is! You don't have to make things even more difficult! You run off into danger without a single thought about who's going to bail you out and when it's me, because it always _is _me!' Arthur scoffed at that, thankfully, Merlin either didn't hear or didn't care 'you end up dragging me into _more _trouble!' he finished with a huff of breath that sounded suspiciously like 'Prat' and was silent

_hallelujah._

Unfortunately, Arthur hadn't brought any ink or parchment with him so he couldn't really communicate with the manservant. This would have suited Merlin just fine if not for the fact that Arthur used 'alternative' methods of talking. . . Merlin was sure his arm would be bruised. As they passed a river, Merlin felt another punch that he assumed meant 'stop' so he did. Arthur's horse also halted, and Merlin dismounted. He noticed the impressions of Arthur's boots in the mud and followed, he took a long drink from the river as he hadn't thought to bring a water skin and then he sat down underneath a tree. It was still morning, just. The sun was almost declaring noon, he shielded his eyes and scanned the river bank. It was peaceful here, calm. The brook was bubbling merrily and there was birdsong all around. Merlin sniffed happily and caught the sweet scent of honeysuckle, and the slightly sharper smell of lavender. He could see some yarrow poking out from under a bush and a rabbit darted between trees. His magic thrummed pleasantly throughout his body, he felt completely at one with the nature around him. He left it up to Arthur to initiate moving again, he wasn't going to move unless he had to. It was nice here, and he hadn't wanted to come along anyway.

Arthur watched his manservant curiously, Merlin looked truly content, which was a first for Merlin. The boy was usually running here, there and everywhere for Gaius, Arthur himself or even another servant who needed help. Arthur had never thought of it before but Merlin always seemed to be helping somebody. He was always there with a grin, a word of almost-wisdom and an affectionate insult. He hardly ever had time for himself. Seeing him so peaceful was … nice, and Arthur decided then and there that he would like to see more of peaceful Merlin. He watched the manservant close his eyes and smile. Arthur smiled back even though Merlin couldn't see. He wished he could. He hated being disconnected from his people, from Merlin. He wanted the reassurance back that he would always have people to look out for him.

Arthur went to kick Merlin awake a few moments later.

Back on his horse, Merlin glared at where the prince was. He wasn't happy about this lack-of-plan. He knew that Arthur was looking for Lilith as he hadn't brought his crossbow, meaning that he wasn't hunting. But he didn't seem to have any idea what to do if they actually _found_ her. They were passing through a clearing when an arrow hit a tree trunk nearby, causing Arthur's horse to rear and send it's rider sprawling to the ground, Merlin grabbed the horses reins and walked it forward, away from the prince shaped indentation in the pile of leaves so it wouldn't stand on Arthur while he himself scanned the trees for any sign of movement. Men began to emerge from the tree line until Merlin was surrounded by bandits.

'Dismount!' one of them yelled, he did. One bandit, presumably the leader, stepped forward

'Where are you going boy? All alone'

'I... I' Merlin stammered racking his brain wildly for an excuse 'I was going to … to visit my mother in Mercia'

'With _two_ horses?' a woman piped up, she had brown hair mattered with dirt and twigs, and an amused gleam in her eye.

'Yes' Merlin said, trying to be confident in his story but cowed by his situation 'I was bringing it to her. My father …'

_Smack! _Merlin's head jerked to the side as pain flared on his cheek

'Lies!' said the man calmly, lowering his hand. 'These are no cheap palfreys, these are hunting animals', he patted the stallion's neck and pulled the reins from Merlin's hand

'What are you doing with them boy?'

'Just taking them to my mother, my father is a nobleman and he sent these horses for my mother and me' Some of the bandits' smiles faded. Arthur was impressed at Merlin's ability to lie. The only reason that he had held himself back after the leader hit Merlin was that they would kill the boy in an instant if they thought he was attacking them. Plus he didn't want any rumours going around that Merlin might actually be some kind of sorcerer. His father didn't like Merlin much as it was. Arthur couldn't even think that thought with a straight face. Imagine! Merlin the sorcerer. Evil Merlin … That worked just about as well as an intimidating duck. Merlin was about as scary as a duck and sometimes far less intelligent. . . it was a shame no one could hear him. That would have gotten a few laughs. So he stayed outside the circle of bandits, keeping an eye out for any sign of serious trouble. At the moment, the worst outcome seemed to be the bandits stealing the horses which would be annoying but it wouldn't be worth risking Merlin's life for. But if anyone hit him again … he could feel his blood boil at the thought.

Merlin meanwhile, was terrified. He couldn't use magic in case Arthur saw, it's not like the prince was in danger so there was really no excuse, the bandits were oozing with a repugnant odour of unwashed men, mud and sweat and it was all Merlin could do not to choke while the leader decided his fate. Eventually, after a heated discussion he stepped forward again.

'Who's your father boy?' he asked. Merlin's eyes automatically flickered to where he suspected Arthur to be in fright, as if expecting an answer from the invisible royal. He needed one of the older knights to 'pose' as his father. And he didn't exactly have time to think about his answer if he wanted to make his answer sound convincing

'Sir Leon' he said, instantly calculating age. . . Leon would have been a young man when Merlin was born so it was plausible... ish.

'The captain of the guard?' the bandit rubbed his beard, Merlin nodded, not trusting himself to speak. 'Alright, as you say boy. In that case, you're coming with us, I hear that the royals at Camelot have high regard for Sir Leon. His _son _will fetch a good price.' he smirked, pausing to take in Merlin's expression of wide eyed fear 'And if you aren't who you say you are … we kill you. It's win-win' he grinned, showing yellow teeth 'What's your name boy?'

'Merlin' _That _at least he could answer

he barked something to one of his riders who took off in the direction Arthur and Merlin had been travelling, towards Camelot.

Merlin flinched as another bandit grabbed him roughly, tying his hands together in front of him, the leader took the end of the rope and tugged, causing Merlin to jerk forwards, a man laughed behind him and prodded his back with a stick. But as scared as he was for himself, he was more worried about his prince. There's no way to know if he had been injured in his fall from the horse, and if he left here now, he may never be able to make his way back, he twisted, trying to see something, anything that would show him that Arthur was okay. The man with the stick stabbed at him again and Merlin winced, finally facing forwards, head down, feeling utterly useless. Like he had betrayed his destiny.

Arthur watched this helplessly. Rushing in now would only put Merlin in more danger. He couldn't risk that. So he followed, not letting his manservant out of his sight. He would have to wait for the opportunity to stage a daring rescue. He might not be back to Camelot in time for supper.

**So what do you think? Things are actually happening now! This is good yes?**

**Please let me know what you think, any tips, constructive criticism, letters of undying fangirly love are welcome ;)**

**I love you all**

**Love Tibbins xx**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hello again :D **

**Wow, I'm on a role, two chapters within a week! This is good for me xD**

**This one is dedicated to the only reviewer of my last chapter sarajm, thank you for your support :)**

**And thanks to all the followers and favouriters too, I really appreciate it :D**

**I don't own Merlin ... the shame**

**Here you are**

**Enjoy ^.^**

During the morning council meeting, (where there was an empty chair just in case Arthur decided to pop in) Uther was just getting started on the mornings business. He had sent for Gaius who had told him all he knew about Arthur's curse before returning to his chambers and he and his council were trying to figure out what to do about it

'We must find this sorceress' Uther insisted, loudly 'I will not tolerate this woman to live after what she did to my son! If she dies, the curse will die with her'

'Not necessarily' cautioned Geoffrey of Mormouth 'I have done a little research and it mentions that not all curses end with the caster. This woman can indeed end the curse but if she dies it may remain permanent.' Uther stared at him for a moment, feeling his last hope dissipating. The one belief he had held since Arthur's birth was that magic would end with the sorcerer, so getting rid of the wielders of sorcery would get rid of the magic that plagued this land. Apparently not. Uther sighed

'We still have to find her' he said firmly 'And persuade her to lift the curse. If she does so willingly … I will let her live' the last passed out between his teeth, but he knew that no one would do what he wanted if he was going to kill them anyway

'Dispatch a patrol' he said to Sir Leon, who nodded 'Report back before sundown' Leon bowed and went to leave, but he had barely taken two steps when there was a crash, a thud, and exclamations of the council members. Leon turned swiftly, drawing his sword, prepared to fight to protect his king, and found that his foe was a rock with a note attached. Leon went to the window and saw a figure in ragged clothes, riding out of the castle gates, there was no point in following, he was a bandit and probably knew the woods better than any of the knights. Leon sheathed his sword, the danger had passed; annoyed as he was at letting the bandit escape, he was also curious as to the message. The king unrolled the parchment, read it and looked at Leon strangely before reading it aloud

'Your majesty,

We have the son of your captain of the guard, Merlin is his name. If you value his life, or Sir Leon's love for his son then you will pay this ransom for his return. Leave the payment in the darkling woods where the river of Hamot joins with the crevice of Namated.

You have three days'

Then there were the details of exactly how much gold they wanted and even some helpful directions. Leon looked at his king

'Do you have a son Sir Leon?'

'No sire' he said, 'but Merlin...'

'_Merlin_,' the king spat 'obviously lied to these people, hoping for me to pay his ransom. However I shall not. I do not bargain with bandits!'

'But sire - '

'Especially' he interrupted 'not for a servant!'

Leon looked down at his feet. He knew that there would be no persuading the king. But he disagreed with his judgement, Leon had grown fond of Merlin during his time in Camelot. He was always cheerful, helpful and kind. He was fun company, plus Arthur adored him … in his own way. Arthur had never had a proper friend before, preferring to stay professional with his knights and terrorizing the servants and peasants. And then Merlin came along and changed everything. He had done the arrogant royal a world of good, just by telling him when he was being a 'prat' and when he was wrong. Arthur had never had that before, and soon, the prince began to open up to the servant, and to a certain extent, the knights. They didn't protect him out of duty anymore, maybe Leon was only speaking for himself but he felt Arthur to be a friend now, not merely a ruler, and Leon had given Arthur his utmost loyalty. Even, although he would never admit it, before Uther. The king was the past now, the prince was the future, and with Merlin by his side to keep him in check, he would be a greater king than his father. All because of one, simple manservant. Without him, Arthur would be lost. He could feel his hope for the future of Camelot sink in his chest. Wait a minute

'Sire!' Uther glanced up, surprised and somewhat annoyed at his apparent enthusiasm, he had spoken louder than he intended

'Merlin wouldn't have left Camelot' he said 'especially with the prince in his condition' that was true enough, Leon had never seen such blind loyalty in a servant/master relationship before, he never would have left Arthur behind just to wander about in the woods.

'What's you're point Sir Leon?' The king was impatient

'Merlin must have gone with Arthur sire.' Leon concluded, 'The two are inseparable and even if Arthur tried to go alone, Merlin would have realised that there would be no way to find him if he left, or got injured.'

That got a reaction from the king, however after considering everything he waved a hand dismissively

'Arthur is invisible' the king said 'The letter mentions no one else captured, and a prince is of far more import than the son of a knight, he would be the one to ransom' Leon tried not to react to that, he knew the king didn't mean it the way it sounded 'Arthur isn't an idiot. He will realise that there is nothing he can do and will make his way back to Camelot.

_Don't bet on it_ Leon thought, Uther obviously didn't know his son as well as he thought

'Sire' he tried again 'Merlin is Arthur's servant and it is well known that the prince has a certain … fondness for the boy, as well as a reckless streak. It will be far more likely that Arthur will try to rescue Merlin. '

Uther sighed, knowing the knight had a point

'Very well Sir Leon, gather some men, search for the boy, with him you will find my son. But you are _not _to take _any _risks in trying to rescue him. Find Arthur, bring him home. That is your mission.'

Leon bowed low, knowing exactly what men he would take.

'Yes sire'

Merlin grunted as he was thrown unceremoniously to the ground, the bandits laughed as one of them chained Merlin to a tree, he watched the rest of them set up camp in a surly silence. His stomach was rumbling and his mouth was dry, he had been walking for hours and none of them had bothered to wonder if he was thirsty. Merlin hadn't spoken for a long time. It would do no good for him to shout insults at his captors, that would only resolve in a beating. He had learned that the hard way. His jaw was sore and his stomach hurt and his back was bruised. The leader of the bandits suddenly straightened up and glanced at his hostage, catching Merlin's eye. Merlin didn't look away, staring down the man who had separated him from his prince. He hadn't found any sign that Arthur was alive but surely he would _know _if he wasn't. The horse hadn't stepped on him, so the only issue is if he had been hurt by the fall, and there was no way to tell unless Merlin found him, and _that _wasn't likely any time soon. And if he _was _okay, and if he was nearby, then Merlin couldn't risk using magic to get out of there, Arthur might see him, or get inadvertently caught up in whatever spell he used. As his clear blue eyes bored into the watery grey ones of his captor, the man stalked forward and without breaking eye contact, backhanded him hard, across the jaw. Merlin didn't make any sound other than to spit at the bandits feet. For that he got a savage kick to the stomach, then the man chuckled and walked off, bored with abusing his hostage, forgetting that his boots had metal toes for when the snow started.

Merlin coughed at the sudden lack of breathing ability. It hurt to inhale, his lungs were on fire. The warlock fell sideways, clutching his stomach, gasping for air. At that moment, he felt a slight pressure on his arm, Merlin looked up, thinking it was one of the men, but no one was there

'Arthur' he whispered, trying to hide the smile, the pressure tightened momentarily before withdrawing only to return, one of Arthurs hands was stroking his face and the other was on Merlin's chest

'Come on Merlin, breathe' the prince said, his thumb tracing Merlins cheekbones. He couldn't figure out how to get the message across without speech, And Merlin didn't seem to be getting it, tears were beginning to roll down his manservants face from the strain of fighting to get air. Arthur felt so helpless, he was watching his servant die, because of _him_ and he couldn't do a damn thing to stop it. Merlin's vision was starting to blur and go dark, he pictured his prince before him, concern on his face, then he blinked and he was gone, both of Arthur's hands were on Merlin's face now, tilting his head up, he was running out of time, he could feel it

'Arthur... I' he managed to choke out 'I'm still happy to be your servant' he coughed, trying and failing to draw in more air 'prat'

Arthur laughed without humour, his eyes were filling with tears, no, not like this, it wasn't supposed to end like this, he had to _do _something.

Almost without thinking, Arthur leant forward and pressed his lips to Merlins, forcing air into the weakening man's body, he breathed into Merlin in a steady rhythm, only drawing back when he felt his manservant regain control. Arthur sighed in relief and hugged Merlin to him, cradling his head in his lap and dropping his own so that their foreheads touched.

That had been close.

**So... what do you think?**

**Action is actually happening now! I might actually finish the story at this rate :P**

**I hope you like it**

**Please let me know :)**

**Love you all**

**Love Tibbins xx**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hey everyone :D It hasn't been THAT long since an update right? I have been working on it almost every day**

**I hope you like it, I wasn't sure about this one, some of the wordings of things sounds weird to me**

**This one is dedicated to 1983Sarah, Thank you so much for your review ^^**

**I don't own Merlin and all that jazz**

**Enjoy :D**

Merlin lay in Arthur's invisible lap, enjoying the feeling of warmth and closeness. He was so glad that Arthur wasn't hurt, and grateful that he had managed to get him to breathe again; those last few moments had been the most terrifying of his life, topped only by those times when Arthur was in immediate danger or dying himself. He knew he must look terrible, the last few hours hadn't been kind to him after all, but lying there, with the feel of Arthur around him he felt as carefree and calm as he had by the river that morning, it was evening now, the sky was starting to darken and through gaps in the trees branches he could see a few stars starting to shimmer. He felt a feather light touch trace through his hair and Merlin closed his eyes, giving in to sleep.

After a few moments of Merlin's deep breathing, Arthur gently shifted him so that his head was on the ground rather than his lap, just in case someone were to glance over and wonder how the hostage was managing to sleep with his head a few inches off the floor, glancing around carefully, he stood and walked around the tree, inspecting the chain that tied to Merlin's wrists. He couldn't break it with his sword without drawing attention to Merlin. He had seen the one who held the key though, the leader, with the beard and the long hair and the large belly. But he was always surrounded by men. He would wait, Arthur decided, sitting back down beside Merlin. He stroked his manservants hair softly, hoping that he was strong enough to endure and hating himself for not being able to get him out now. If he could get the leader alone, or if they unchained Merlin for any reason, then he would act. For now, all he could do was be there for his friend.

Leon, Gwaine, Percival and Elyan set out from Camelot after the council meeting. Leon had explained everything to them and they had all reacted differently, Percival hid his emotions carefully, Elyan bit his lip, worrying about the prince and Gwaine fumed, he was angry at Uther for commanding them to leave Merlin, angry at Arthur for dragging Merlin off with him, angry at Merlin … No, he wasn't angry at Merlin, he was worried for him; more worried than he was for Arthur, Arthur was unrivalled in his sword skills, plus he was invisible so he'd be kind of hard to capture, if they even knew he was there. Merlin was very visible, and being held for ransom, and as he was less than royalty the bastards were unlikely to see the need to return him in pristine condition. Gwaine was going to find Merlin, Uther's orders be damned. Arthur could take care of himself, Merlin could too at a pinch but he was usually too busy looking out for other people to look after himself, plus he was too nice to do everything that needed to be done, unless someone he cared about was in immediate danger then he would rather incapacitate than kill. And he wasn't very good at either of those things, he was useless with a sword, terrible with a bow and couldn't so much as throw a rock accurately. How he had managed to stay alive throughout his years in Camelot were a mystery to Gwaine. Even though he had an inkling, and that inkling just posed the same question for a different reason. Merlin would be careful, he knew, so with an invisible Arthur around it wouldn't be safe for him to … escape, which could be a problem, especially if Arthur couldn't find a way to bail him out. As the knights settled down for the day, Gwaine insisted of first watch, he was too impatient and angry to be tired. They only had two days left.

Arthur really wanted to rush in right now, and knowing he couldn't stung. He watched in vain as Merlin was kicked awake, with a lot more force than Arthur himself used when performing such a task, he wanted to dash in and save his manservant as he watched them torment and abuse him, but he knew that if he did, Merlin would die quicker. His intervention would bring out the rest of the camp and without anyone but Merlin to blame, they would kill him instantly and without hesitation. And unless Merlin was put in ropes, Arthur couldn't cut him free. It was torture to watch his friends pain without being able to do anything to stop it, and he could feel his anger bubbling beneath the surface. After they had finished with Merlin they walked off guffawing and clapping each other on the back, leaving behind only one guard who scowled menacingly at the pale boy before spitting and leaning against the trunk of a tree nearby, where he could see Merlin and be comfortable at the same time. Arthur tiptoed past him and reached his manservant, hurting inside when Merlin flinched away from his touch for a split second before relaxing. A nasty bruise was forming on his cheek and Arthur stroked it gently, wishing he could convey his hatred of the men who had done this to him and express how sorry he was that he had dragged Merlin into this in the first place. Merlin sat up slowly, wincing and looked down at his knees rather than where Arthur would be so as not to draw suspicion from the guard, after a minute or so, Merlin spoke

'You should go back to Camelot' he whispered, his voice sounded strained and raspy and Arthur made a note to get Merlin some water as soon as he could. But by way of an answer he took Merlin's face gently between his hands and shook his head slightly, Merlin sighed 'you have to' he said 'they will have noticed you were missing by now, and there's nothing you can do for me here anyway, I'm not likely to be moved until my ransom time runs out.' There was no fear in his voice, just concern, for him, for Arthur. 'You shouldn't be wandering about the woods with Lilith roaming around' he urged 'Go back to Camelot Arthur' he said the last with a jutting lip, back to stubborn old Merlin 'Or I'll come up with a _really_ good name for you'

Arthur personally thought that names didn't come any 'better' than dollop-head, but as his withering look was rendered useless, he chose to ignore the comment. No way was he leaving Merlin in the hands of these thugs. He just needed an opportunity to bust him out of there. One day, this would be a funny story that they would look back on and laugh, just another of their adventures. He wanted to believe that. But the desperation in Merlin's eyes said that he didn't think so somehow, and annoyingly, Merlin was usually right... except about everything that _didn't_ include futuristic babble. Sure he had been captured by bandits before, and he had endured a punch or two but something was different this time. It _felt _different. Like he was intruding on something. Like his mere presence was stopping something from happening. Merlin wanted Arthur to go, but he was in no danger so what he didn't get was _why_. But he wanted to find out. He took Merlin's head again and nodded. Merlin looked sceptical.

'You're not leaving are you?' his voice was a statement of fact, slightly sarcastic, but there was a hint of something else too, defeat? Before he could decide, there was movement from the guard who obviously thought something was off by the way the hostage kept moving his head, he staggered to his feet, waddled over, stared at Merlin for an uncomfortable minute before kicking him for making him stand up. Ignoring the boys glare.

Arthur touched Merlin's cheek gently as an apology, then he stood and made his way into the thick of the camp, the majority of bandits were drinking from tankards of mead and laughing raucously in the one of the tents, Arthur slipped inside and stepped around the piles of vomit, sleeping men and empty tankards that littered the ground. He found what he was looking for on one of the tables, underneath the arm of an unconscious thug. A water skin. Working quickly, whilst looking around to make sure no one else noticed, Arthur eased the skin from under the man's arm. He then made his way back outside, unwittingly starting a fist fight when he accidentally bumped into one drunken fool with another standing nearby. He smiled thinly, hoping that they both _really_ hurt each other. And knowing that they would be only too easy to defeat if they got this drunk every morning. Once outside in the fresh air, away from the thick, sweat and beer laden air of the tent, Arthur shook the water skin, empty. He made his way to a nearby river and filled it, after washing it thoroughly first, he didn't want Merlin to become ill with whatever the passed out bandit may or may not have. Plus, it smelled.

He made his way back to Merlin who was once again, trying to slip out of his chains. His wrists were starting to bleed with their constant irritation of the metal confining his hands, he tapped Merlin on the shoulder and passed the water skin to him, taking his hand and writing two words on the boy's palm

_Hide it_

Merlin nodded, and after taking a swig, he got Arthur to tuck it into his pants, not being able to quite reach himself. He eyed the guard, who was dozing for the moment and then looked back to where Arthur was still holding his hand

'Thanks Arthur' he whispered 'but you still have to go! Surely they will have sent a patrol out after you by now, go and find them.' he sensed the princes hesitation and his voice softened 'You can't do anything for me here' he said squeezing the hand still in his own and grinned 'Not that you could anyway. I'm safe as long as I have time, they won't kill me if they think that Uther is considering paying my ransom. Now go.'

Arthur saw the sense of Merlin's words, and if he knew his father then the patrol would be led by Leon, who would bring Gwaine, Elyan and Percival with him. They were his best chance. If knights of Camelot attacked the bandits then Arthur could help them with his advantage of being invisible without putting Merlin in more danger. So Arthur squeezed his manservants hand one last time, ruffled his hair, and ran off into the woods, hopefully to find Merlin's rescue party.

What he found instead. Was Lilith.

**Dun, dun, DUUUUUUUUUUUN!**

**What do you think?**

**Do you like it? Hate it? Indifferent?**

**Please let me know, I really appreciated feedback**

**Love you all **

**Love Tibbins xx**


	10. Chapter 10

**A quick update right? :P Well yesterday I just couldn't stop writing and I finished the whole next chapter! I hope I can do that again today, so I might be updating tomorrow! Don't hold me to that though :P **

**I would like to dedicate this chapter to WhimsyUsagi because I know you are hoping for a bit more action ... it's not really in this one, sorry :/ but I think next chapter may be the last chapter so lots of action will happen yes?**

**Hope that's ok for you :)**

**I don't own Merlin ... nor can I watch yesterdays episode because I missed it on TV because I had a birthday party to go to and the sound on my laptop has died so I CAN'T WATCH MERLIN! It's very sad :'(**

**Hope you enjoy ^.^**

'Hello Arthur Pendragon' Lilith was staring at the prince as if he wasn't invisible, her grey eyes boring into his. Arthur suppressed a shiver

'You!' he said heatedly 'release me of this spell at once!'

'Any why would I do that?' Lilith asked lazily, inspecting her nails 'I've been watching you Arthur, and I want to know if you have learned your lesson yet'

'Because I'm the prince of Camelot! How can I rule my people if they cannot see me? How can I tell them what to do if I can't talk?'

'Your manservant would argue that that is a good thing' said Lilith wryly, grinning at her own wit, 'and that answer is incorrect. Sorry, one more go'

Arthur floundered at the sorceress in front of him, she seemed completely unconcerned with anything in the world, able to make people disappear with a snap of her fingers

'It's because of _you_ that Merlin isn't here to tell me that himself!' Arthur shouted 'And who _are _you anyway? What are you trying to achieve? Getting my manservant captured and separating me from my father and my kingdom. What am I supposed to learn other than the fact that you are trying to destroy Camelot by getting rid of me, but you didn't have the guts to just kill me!' he was breathing heavily now, flushed with anger 'and you do all this and then expect me to play along and answer your questions correctly? Is this just a game to you? Well I'm not playing!' He drew his sword, and then, realising that it would be useless against one who could just turn it into a sponge, sheathed it again and clenched his fists, Lilith looked at him coolly, turning her head, causing her hair to fall over one shoulder.

'My my' she said 'you _do_ think an awful lot of yourself don't you? This is no _game _Pendragon. This is a test to see what is in your heart. Call it wariness on my part but this is me, trying to decide if I should trust you. So many people I know have turned against Camelot because of the things your father has done, this is why you see magic in a bad light, because all you see is sorcerers attacking you and your father for revenge. Because of _my_ magic I fear condemnation from your father but I hear that you are different. I want you to prove that to me. I don't want to destroy Camelot. I want to restore it to the great kingdom that it was, I want to help it become greater than it has ever been! And it was not me who dragged Merlin along to look for me and ended up getting him captured. But I see you have not learned.' she shrugged 'You have the same amount of time as Merlin does, Arthur' she said, her voice uncaring 'You have one more day to learn' And with that, she was gone, and Arthur found himself alone once more.

_XXX_

The knights of Camelot had been wandering around to no avail for the better part of the second day, everyone was tense, but none more so than Gwaine, the other knights noticed this when his jokes became snappy retorts which became silence as the others learned to stay away. They all knew how close he was to Merlin, they all cared about the jolly, bumbling manservant. But Gwaine especially, Merlin had been Gwaine's first friend, the first person to understand him, to laugh at all of his terrible jokes and tease him mercilessly about his stunts in the tavern. Gwaine liked and respected all the other knights as friends. But the way he cared for Merlin showed in the way that no matter how much teasing he got, his jokes with the pale boy would never go too far, and the way that no matter how drunk he was, he wouldn't leave Merlin alone while he went off with a busty barmaid. He never did anything that might hurt Merlin, and sometimes if the other knights teasing seemed to border the edge, he always reigned them back in with a funny quip directed towards Percival or Arthur, and the thought of men deliberately going out of their way to cause the boy pain when he was too far away to help killed him inside. He loved Merlin, he was the brother he never knew he wanted, someone to protect who kept him on the right track. He was just so _kind _and considerate and open-hearted and happy and the drunkard felt so truly _honoured _to be considered as his friend that Gwaine had become a better person since meeting him, there were less bar fights, less maidens, less anger and more trust. And he would die before he allowed any harm to come to the one who had made that possible for him, which was why he was kicking himself as he rode in surly silence, his hand on his sword and his eyes searching for his best friend.

Percival noticed Gwaine's tension, it was hard to miss after all, but the silent giant understood. He too had had a little brother once, and even after Cenred had destroyed him and his sisters and parents, Merlin fit that particular gap quite snugly, he was a sweet boy, funny, kind, and _very _wise. Not that many people noticed that, but Percival did. He noticed a lot of things that nobody else seemed to, it came with not really talking much, people didn't feel that they were being judged and so didn't change the way they acted. He noticed how Merlin always tried his best to discourage Arthur from doing something stupid and or dangerous, and when that failed, he went along and continued to recite his warnings to the oblivious prince, not letting him out of his sight until the threat was gone. He noticed Merlin's abject loyalty to them all. He would never leave any of them behind if he had the opportunity to help them. Unless of course, Arthur was in danger. That boy placed the prince in higher regard than his own father did at times, and despite the constant bickering and cutting remarks, Percival could see that Arthur felt the same way. He was just as protective of the servant, the way he worried if Merlin was missing or hurt, the way he always pulled him back to keep him out of danger. Percival wasn't jealous of their relationship, not so that he minded that Merlin put Arthur before any of them and vice versa, he was actually proud that Merlin could have had so much influence on the prince to make him value the life of a servant over that of a knight, or indeed himself. That was one of the reasons he knew that they would not be leaving these woods without Merlin. Because Arthur wouldn't let them.

Elyan knew that without a doubt, they would end up rescuing Merlin. Gwaine would permit nothing else and neither would Arthur. But Elyan secretly wished that they could just follow the kings orders, find Arthur and get out of there. When people saw the knights of Camelot, Elyan was the one that they tended to pass over, he may not have been as quiet as Percival but that man's sheer brawn made him stand out anyway, Gwaine was the funny one with all the jokes, Arthur was the prince and Leon was the fatherly figure of the group, the one everyone went to for advice about training. Not very many people remembered the blacksmith's son. Elyan didn't mind, he wasn't very remarkable after all and he had his sister, and the other knights as his friends, and Arthur. Elyan's loyalty was to his prince, although he liked Merlin very much, and would grieve along with the rest if they lost him, he knew that Gwen would never forgive him if Arthur got killed while they tried to rescue his manservant. Gwen loved Arthur, that was plain to see, and Arthur had risked a lot for her sake too, coming to rescue him for a start, but Elyan did not think that he loved her in the same way. He treated her delicately, politely, as if he knew her feelings and didn't want to hurt her. Then he saw how Arthur was with Merlin, and their relationship couldn't have been more different, there was banter, inside jokes, fierce protectiveness, loyalty and a connection so strong that it was almost a visible thing. He felt bad for his sister and although he wasn't petty enough to leave Merlin to die at the hands of bandits for her sake, he almost wished that he could. He knew that if they lost Arthur, Camelot would fall. But if they lost Merlin, people would grieve and move on, with the exceptions of Gaius, Arthur and Gwaine. He wasn't sure whether or not he was willing to take that risk. But he didn't know Merlin well enough to make a judgement of the boys life just to preserve his sister's heart for a little longer. Then Elyan actually thought of all the kindness that Merlin had shown everyone, and thought that Gwen's heart would survive. After all she had loved Merlin once too. And even now he was a good friend to everyone he had ever met, he was always helpful and there with a kind word of encouragement if you needed him. And thinking of that, Elyan didn't mind the risk so much, when the benefits, if they pulled it off, would be far greater.

Leon had heard some of the arguments between Arthur and his father about Merlin, Uther didn't trust the boy, and he didn't like the friendship that had blossomed between him and his son, he thought Merlin was too involved in Arthur's life, and had too much of a say in Arthur's decisions, and indeed, was too outspoken in general. Uther had many a time argued to get the boy whipped into submission, to which Arthur would reply that Merlin had never given him any reason to doubt him and said that he didn't want to send a message to the people that loyalty was repaid with pain. Leon always smiled at moments like these, because it took Uther aback and made Arthur glow with a fierce belief. Belief that before Merlin, hadn't really existed. Merlin had helped Arthur to stand up against his father, to become his own man, and Leon liked the man that Arthur had become, he was fair, and strong and it was easy to see that he would become a great king, not at all like the spoiled, pompous bully he had been. All because of one lanky, manservant who had the gall to call the prince of Camelot an ass. There was a certain something about the two of them he had seen, sometimes when it was late, and Merlin was brooding on the outskirts of the camp, or by the fire while the other knights were laughing and drinking or sleeping. Arthur would be joining in with the rest, but at some point, his head would always jerk up, and almost instinctively swivel to his manservant's presence, then he would fall silent, get up and go to him, they would talk and he would come back as if nothing had happened, but Leon saw. Leon knew what it would do to the prince if he lost Merlin, the first true friend he had ever had. He would make bad decisions, and mistakes and acts of cruelty and malice and without anyone to tell him that he was a prat, he would become Uther. Leon respected the king, and believed that he had always done as he thought was right, and he would follow his orders and wouldn't go on a search for Merlin, but Leon also knew that the king had become a tyrant, and he had chosen the men who knew Arthur and Merlin the best. Knowing that they would all forcibly restrain him if he attempted to leave Merlin behind. Arthur needed Merlin, and therefore so did Camelot, and Leon's first duty was to his kingdom.

Merlin and Arthur were like two sides of the same coin. And all of the knights knew of it's value.

**So... Whatcha think? I know it's not really action packed but I really wanted to get the knight's views on Merlin and Arthur in there somewhere. I made Elyan sound rather mean didn't I ... can you tell he's my least favourite knight? And a little more explanation from Lilith. I actually have ideas for the ending! It may be soon I warn you :P**

**I hope you liked it, please let me know your thoughts/feelings about this chapter, it's a bit of a filler chapter I know but it was too long to just add it into another one**

**Love you all**

**Love Tibbins xx**


	11. Chapter 11

**Ok... I know it's been slightly longer than usual but to be fair this one is the length of two and a half chapters so that's my excuse :P**

**Plus I have a psychology test tomorrow and really should be revising and not watching Merthur videos on youtube**

**LOTS OF STUFF HAPPENS IN THIS ONE! Yay for actual plot xD**

**I dedicate this one to ... 1983Sarah, because your review made me smile ^.^**

**I don't own Merlin and blah de blah de blah**

**Enjoy**

Merlin waited for an hour or so before believing that Arthur had truly gone. He had; he didn't feel the princes presence any more. He glanced around furtively, the guard that had come on 'shift' this morning looked to be more alert than the others. He wasn't looking directly at Merlin but all the same, he had the feeling that he was being scrutinised closely. He was thirsty, he hadn't had a chance to drink since last night. And as he hadn't been fed, he felt the need for water even more to fill his stomach. He tried to swallow but his mouth was too dry. He looked back down at his knees, knowing that if the guard saw his water skin, it would be taken off him for sure. He muttered a quick spell to make the guard slightly less than attentive and managed to take a quick swig of water before his brain caught up with his eyes. The guard shook his head for a moment and turned away, blinking rapidly. Merlin smiled, he was probably feeling dizzy, Merlin's eyes flashed gold once more and the chains fell from his wrists. He didn't waste a second, he ran. He had just gotten into the trees when a shout sounded behind him, he glanced back in alarm and continued to run, he ran even when he heard hoof beats behind him, knowing that he couldn't outrun horses; especially whilst weak from lack of food. A blow from some kind of mace hit him in the shoulder. Pain exploded in his left side. He felt the bone in his shoulder smash and with a cry he fell, whimpering in pain as he still tried to crawl away, now he was scared, almost blinded with pain he couldn't even draw up enough magic to blast them all away, his eyes flickered and a weak pulse of energy knocked a few of the bandits over, but that was all. Merlin writhed on the ground, holding his shoulder. Trying to get away but knowing that he wasn't actually moving anywhere; then, the leader was stood over him, a sneer on his cruel face. He was holding the mace loosely in his hand

'Time's up' he growled, before bringing the mace up, around his shoulder, and down onto the pitiful mass of blue eyes, black hair and pale skin with his full force behind it.

_XXX_

Gwaine was riding one moment. Looking around the forest and growing increasingly agitated as Merlin's time ran out, and the next he felt a large, hard, round object hit the side of his head and knock him sideways, off his horse. The other's drew their swords, Leon quickly dismounted to help Gwaine scramble to his feet. Another stone flew in their direction, this tine falling short. But they all saw that it had been thrown from outside of the tree line, meaning ...

'Arthur?' Leon called. There were two taps of a rock on a tree which the knights all took for a yes. Then a path was being carved through the dead leaves as Arthur ran to Gwaine's horse. He grabbed the reigns and pulled the beast forward. Gwaine immediately clambered back into the saddle and spoke to the reigns

'Where to, Princess?'

Arthur tugged on the leather, urging the horse into a walk, the other knights followed.

Arthur led them to the bandit camp. Immediately, the knights all dismounted and all but Gwaine went in for the attack. The drunken bandits stood no chance against the disciplined and well trained knights of Camelot. Arthur grasped Gwaine's arm and led them through the fray, cutting down all in their path until they reached the tree where Merlin was held... only to find the chains broken, still coated with dried blood from the manservant's wrists ... and no Merlin.

Panicking, the prince and Gwaine searched the battlefield, Gwaine was looking for his friend, Arthur was looking for his enemy; he couldn't see the leader. Just at that moment, a scream was heard, one that made all of the knights glance in the direction of it for a split second in horror before necessity dictated they return to the battle. That had been Merlin's scream.

Arthur and Gwaine looked at each other, well... Arthur looked at Gwaine, Gwaine appeared to be looking at one of the bandits, who became so confused that he didn't even turn when Percival clocked him on the head. Then they both sprinted towards the cry, towards their friend. Towards Merlin.

They both reached him at the same time, the massive thug of a bandit bringing his mace down onto the helpless servant beneath him, Gwaine cried out

'No!' and ran towards the man, Arthur knew he wouldn't be quick enough, so he just unsheathed his dagger and threw it.

Merlin felt the ending blow, a crushing weight to his chest, he knew that he would have died instantly, had his magic not instinctively cushioned the impact. He sobbed in pain as he heard Gwaine's shout, saw the dagger enter the side of his attackers neck, cried out in agony as the brute landed on his arm, he almost blacked out from the pain, but knowing that if he did, he was unlikely to wake up, and he had to stay awake. At least for a little longer. Just to say goodbye.

Gwaine approached his friend, kneeling down beside him he unceremoniously rolled the corpse of him. Merlin was covered in blood, whether his own or the bandit's he couldn't tell, but that damn mace should have broken every rib the boy had. They were fortunate. At least in that. Merlin moaned in pain again and Gwaine reached forward to stroke his hair, noticing the pale, clammy skin, and the dullness in his usually vibrant blue eyes.

'Merlin?' The boy groaned in response and Gwaine's heart tore in two, he watched his best friend, his little _brother_ lying on the ground with a shattered shoulder, possibly a few broken ribs, maybe internal bleeding and with no way to help him. Before he knew it Gwaine was crying silently. This shouldn't have happened. Not to Merlin, not to someone so selfless, so _good. _It just wasn't fair.

'Damn it!' the knight yelled, slamming the ground with his fists. Before regaining some semblance of control and returning to Merlin, meeting his eyes and attempting a smile

'You alright mate?' he said, swallowing thickly 'We're gonna get you back to Camelot and Gaius'll patch you up, you'll see.' He nodded vigorously, forcing himself to believe it. When even he could see that that wasn't the case. Merlin wasn't just hurt, Merlin was dying. The boy in question coughed and met the knights weak smile

'Gwaine' he choked, 'I think we both know, that isn't going to happen.' with a great effort, Merlin reached up to touch the Gwaine's cheek and wipe away a tear with his thumb 'You were the one person who never judged me.' he continued, he had to say this, he had to get this out 'You always made me laugh when I thought I couldn't and...' he coughed again, pain rippling in his chest 'And you never pretend to be anyone else. I admire you for that, my friend.'

Gwaine smiled through his tears. Those words had touched him in a way that he didn't know could make him both so happy and so terribly sad at the same time.

'Goodbye Merlin, my brother'

He felt a pressure on his arm, and Merlin's expression changed, meaning that Arthur was beside him. As much as he wanted to stay until the end, he knew that Arthur needed time alone with him too. So after he spoke he bent forward and ruffled Merlin's hair, then he stood and walked off to a distance where he could see but not hear.

Arthur squeezed his manservant's hand gently, and reached forwards to trace his fingers along the boy's jaw. His tears weren't falling yet, but he knew it wouldn't take much.

'Arthur' Merlin choked out, leaning into the man's comforting touch, his vision was starting to blur but he guessed that that didn't matter considering who he was talking to 'You will become a great king' Arthur shook his head. He wanted to speak, answer back that Merlin wasn't going to die. That he would _be _there to see him become this king. A king that, Arthur could see in the raven-haired boy's eyes, he truly believed in. There was passion in those eyes, and faith and hope and so much _life _that Arthur couldn't help but see it too. And he couldn't believe that Merlin might _not _see that day. That he probably wouldn't even see the next day. And it was his fault. And he couldn't apologise, or even say goodbye. His tears fell now, fast and thick, he held his manservants hand tightly, it was the only way he could communicate now

'I'm sorry Merlin' he sobbed, knowing he couldn't be heard but still needing to say it 'I'm so sorry'

He bowed his head but couldn't bear to close his eyes, couldn't bear to look away when Merlin needed him most.

'Arthur Pendragon' The voice made him look up. Lilith.

'What do you want now?' he asked, standing up. Merlin didn't react, nor did Gwaine, it was as if they were frozen in time, Arthur pointed at Lilith threateningly 'You have _no _right to be here, none at all! My manservant is dying and for what? For your little _joke_? For me to _learn _something? Why don't you just leave here because nothing you have to say _matters _to me anymore?!' Lilith regarded him placidly. Arthur turned his back on her and looked once again at Merlin who hadn't moved

'What if I said that I could save him?' Arthur spun around so fast it was like he hadn't moved at all, one moment he was facing his dying friend, and the next he was staring at Lilith, hope rekindled in his blue eyes

'You can?' he almost didn't want to believe it, she shrugged

'Maybe, maybe not'

'Do it! Please.' He never thought that he would say 'Please' to this woman, to any sorcerer, but for Merlin, he would beg if he had to.

'Tell me why' Arthur just looked at her blankly, his tear streaked face creased in confusion

'Why what? Why I want you to save him? Because he's my friend! Because I _need _him!' Lilith shook her head impatiently

'No Arthur Pendragon, I mean why do you want to become visible again?'

Arthur spluttered

'Wh- … _That's _your question?! Merlin is dying and you think that I would be so petty to ask for my own visibility? I just want him to live' his anger left him in that last sentence and he glanced back at his motionless friend.

'Merlin is _dying_ Arthur. Why do you want me to lift my spell? Answer me truthfully now, you will not have another chance' Arthur lifted his eyes to meet hers, in the cold grey depths he found a steely resolve, but no hatred, no malice. And seeing a lack of cruel intention completely broke him. His tears started to flow again and he collapsed on his knees half-turning so he could grasp Merlin's hand as he spoke. He didn't look at the sorcerer in the ragged green dress, or his stationary knight a few paces away. What he looked at was Merlin, those simple clothes, that damned, faded blue neckerchief, the lack of armour, the blood, the raven hair, those striking cheekbones. His blue eyes open and staring, clouded with pain. Arthur looked into those eyes and he remembered the way that they shone with joy or tears, how they were so open and so mysterious at the same time, the honesty and the secrets all rolled up into on bundle of something that was just so individually _Merlin. _Arthur knew that after Merlin, he couldn't have another manservant. He would learn to do all his own chores or get the other servants to divide up the tasks because the very thought of waking up to something other than 'Rise and shine' in a sickeningly cheerful voice, considerably later than it should be was abhorrent to him. Merlin was irreplaceable. He was just so good, and thoughtful and wise and troubled and carefree and helpful and useless all at the same time. There would never be another Merlin. And if Arthur couldn't save him, then he could at least do something that Merlin would do, the right thing. He could let him go. He had never before seen that much pain in his friends eyes, and nor did he ever want to again. He was unashamedly weeping now, remembering all of their nicknames and jokes, all of their adventures and how they always managed to come out in one piece, Merlin's annoying habits and his way of dealing with Arthur's. The loyalty and love that he had been shown by one lanky boy in tattered clothes who had had the tenacity to stand up for another. That one boy who over time had become his best friend, more than that even, and more than a brother. Merlin was something else.

'I want him to see me again' he whispered, his voice shaking 'I want him to see how sorry I am.' he took a deep breath 'and I want him to hear me say goodbye'

Lilith smiled sadly, it was a beautiful smile that transformed her features entirely, but it was still sad

'Congratulations Arthur Pendragon' she said 'You shall get your wish' And with that a great wind gathered around her and she vanished, Arthur experienced a strange tugging sensation, as if someone was pulling his shirt off. Time restarted as Gwaine shifted his stance slightly, looking at the ground and Merlin moaned in pain. Arthur crawled over to Merlin, hoping against hope that Lilith had healed him after all, keeping tight hold of his hand he squeezed and looked into Merlin's crystalline blue eyes. And Merlin stared back. Shock registered, followed by a brilliant, goofy smile that made Arthur smile too, it was okay, Merlin was okay. But then Merlin moved and fell back against the leaves and Arthur's smile was wiped from his face

'Merlin' his voice was strained

'Arthur' Merlin returned 'I can see you again' he brought his hand up to cradle the princes cheek 'I can see you'

Arthur nodded

'And I see you' he said, 'I always see you Merlin, by my side where you belong.'

'I'll miss you Arthur' tears were beginning to leak out of Merlin's eyes. Arthur wiped them away

'And I you' he gulped and then realised that he had to say it. Because if he couldn't say it now then he never would 'I love you Merlin'

In that moment, Merlin beamed. Such a smile of pure joy and happiness Arthur had never seen before.

'I love you too dollop-head'

'Idiot'

'Prat'

'Fool'

'Clotpole'

Arthur just laughed softly. He knew that Merlin could banter with him all day long and if he didn't give in, he'd never get anything done. He leaned down and kissed his manservant softly on the lips. Merlin began to kiss back, when he suddenly stilled, and his head fell back, breaking the contact. Arthur pulled back in horror. Merlin's eyes were closed, a single tear trickling from between his lids.

'No' Arthur gasped 'No! Merlin!' and then Gwaine was there, knelt beside him, one hand on Arthur's shoulder, and the other knights were there too, taking in the scene before them and drawing closer to share their grief. Arthur sobbed unashamedly as he hugged his manservant's body, calling his name as if this was just a bad dream. And any moment, Merlin would wake up, laughing at the looks on their faces and a great goofy grin on his own.

But he didn't

And he never would.

**So there we go ... I know I'm evil! MUAHAHAHA!**

**Don't worry, this isn't the last chapter xD I'm not _that _evil :P**

**Please, Please let me know what you think ... Being mean to Merlin is kind of my default when I'm stuck and I am aware I went slightly bipolar with the whole thing. Any improvements you can think of? Let me know :)**

**Love you all**

**Love Tibbins xx**


	12. Chapter 12

**Hey again :D**

**I bet some of you thought that I would leave it there! But you people obviously don't read this bit so I don't know why I just said that xD**

**Thank you guys so much for your continuous support of this fic, and I apologise for all the tears I caused and as for the death threat I recieved, I dedicate this chapter to you Meyli Vaisyl ;)**

**I also have to make a special mention for my 100th reviewer on this fic :D Thank you Lientjuhh**

**I also want to thank everyone who has ever read, reviewed, favourited or followed this. You guys keep me writing :'), all of my reviewers are mentioned on my profile ... or you will be at some point I promise :P**

**I'm really sad to come to the end of another fic but I know you all deserve the last chapter**

**Enjoy ^.^**

It was Percival who eventually lifted Merlin and took him to the horse. He draped Merlin over the saddle gently, saying a final, private goodbye to the boy as he did so. Thanking him for all that he had done, and hoping that he had no worries wherever he was now. Leon helped the emotionless Arthur onto his own horse and Percival took Gwaine, holding him securely as the knight just laid back and cried into his chest. Elyan gathered the reigns for the mare carrying Merlin and rode carefully, keeping a careful eye on him, making sure that he wasn't jostled.

The ride home was silent save for the horses hooves on the earth and Gwaine's sobbing. Elyan was hating himself for his callous thoughts earlier. He knew that his sister would be thankful that Arthur was back; But seeing how he was without Merlin, so lost and alone, despite Leon's arms around him, made him think that Camelot just might fall anyway.

Leon had seen Arthur grieve for his friends before. But never like this. Arthur always _did_ something, whether beating a tree senseless or getting on with his job. He always stayed alert for his own life and others' around him. Now... Leon thought that if he had the urge to throttle his prince right there on the horse then he would be met with no resistance. Leon had not failed to notice how dependent Arthur was on his manservant. Merlin was his conscience, his place to turn when he wasn't sure of the right thing, his comfort when things went wrong, his scapegoat for when he needed to disobey Uther, and apparently, Merlin had also been his strength. And Leon knew that there was no coming back from a loss that huge. Uther had lost Ygraine and it had turned him into a tyrant. Now Arthur had lost Merlin and it had turned him into … nothing; which was a far more terrifying concept.

Percival held Gwaine close, as if trying to block out the man's pain by physically shielding him. He had grown close to Gwaine over the last few years, finding out that the boisterous man was always good for a laugh and a drink. He didn't seem to take offence at anything unless it was directed towards Merlin. Percival always respected his protectiveness, after all _someone _needed to stick up for him when Arthur was being a 'stupid noble' in Gwaine's words. Gwaine clutched at Percival's chain mail. The poor man was inconsolable. Percival remembered those days after his own family had been cruelly ripped from the world, and he held Gwaine closer. He would miss Merlin too.

Gwaine couldn't stop his tears, nor did he want to. He wanted to show everyone what he was feeling. This was him now, stripped raw. No more jokes, sarcastic remarks or wise cracks could make this okay. This would not be a story to raucously laugh about in the local tavern. This was a grief so deep that he felt it inside his bones, in every muscle he had, and the only way he could express it was through his tears. He clung to Percival like a child, glad that the gentle giant wouldn't judge him for his lapse in control. He couldn't look at Merlin's body, hanging so helplessly from the horse a few feet away, nor could he help the memories that flashed before his eyes; Merlin, giving his room to a complete stranger because he had helped some royal ponce in a bar fight, Merlin, persuading said royal ponce to pay his bill, laughing as he banged his head on the wall, polishing boots without complaint, getting knives thrown at him by some thugs, worrying about Arthur, laughing in the tavern, brooding in silence, eyes dancing with fire, fending off wyven, protecting, happy, clumsy, generous, sarcastic, genial, Merlin, covered with blood, eyes dark pools of pain, saying goodbye.

The happy memories were harder to recall than the bad. At least he could convince himself that Merlin was free of pain and sorrow now. But those good times they had shared, all the feasts and the nights in the tavern and the laughter and the celebration and the joy and the smirks. The comments at Arthur's expense, the shared looks, the eye rolling and the silent grins. They were all gone. And losing that, it was like a sword to the gut. A sword with barbs and tainted with poison that twisted with every thought and spread throughout his entire being. So Gwaine cried for his friend. And he didn't care who saw him.

Arthur felt empty. Hollow. The moment he stopped screaming his pain out to the world it ebbed away. Leaving only numbness. He wasn't sure if he was grateful or not yet. At least the pain had been a physical reminder. This lack of feeling scared him. He thought of Merlin. Nothing around him mattered anymore; perhaps nothing would ever matter to him again. Only Merlin. He felt as if he had lost his armour. Something he took for granted so often that it was only when he couldn't find it did he feel so vulnerable and naked. He felt transparent, he felt invisible. He would have laughed at the irony if he could have mustered enough feeling to care. Merlin would have laughed. He felt Leon behind him, felt the horse beneath him, heard Gwaine beside him but he didn't care about any of it. He couldn't imagine becoming that great king now; the one that Merlin always told him about, always believed in. He couldn't do that without his manservant by his side. It was wrong.

They rode sombrely into the courtyard and were greeted by Uther, who was overjoyed at having his son back, and Gaius, who turned as pale as milk when he saw the still figure behind them, he hurried towards the horse that Elyan was holding and barked orders at the knight to help carry him to his chambers. Elyan tried to explain that it was too late, there was nothing they could do, but Gaius was adamant. He wouldn't believe that until he himself failed. Percival lifted Gwaine off his horse and supported him to the tavern, knowing that drink was the only thing that could even make a dint in the man's pain right now. Leon assisted Arthur back to the ground and guided him behind Elyan because he knew that the Prince would not be able to cope with even more separation. He settled Arthur in a chair in the physician's chambers and left to go and talk to Uther.

All of the knights had seen the kiss between the two men on the forest floor, and none of them thought any the worse of either of them for it. But Leon had the good sense not to mention such a tiny detail to the king. Uther would never understand. However the king already knew that they were close, so he would likely permit Arthur's vigil for a day, or at the very least a few hours. Which should give the prince some comfort at least. And if not … Well. Leon would delay the king as long as he could.

Lilith stared into her enchanted pool, watching the grief unfold. Sir Gwaine was trying to drown his sorrows in the tavern and failing miserably whilst Sir Percival did all he could to help, not letting his own grief show for the sake of his friend; elsewhere, Sir Leon was talking to a confused king, who wasn't understanding that his son was actually feeling emotions. Lilith scowled at the pool and moved swiftly on, Sir Elyan was with his sister, Guinevere, comforting her as she cried, and Gaius was applying a poultice to his ward's cold brow, face pinched, unwilling to accept what he knew to be true. Arthur Pendragon sat on a wooden chair beside the young warlock's cot. Staring blankly at the boy he had begged for. Lilith was surprised. She had expected more anger, a patrol to hunt her down, merciless judgement, a swift death. Instead, the man she saw was broken beyond repair. . . In that moment she realised just who 'Merlin' was... who he must be! The fated Emrys! The one who would help to unite the lands of Albion and fulfil the prophecies of his fate. The last Dragonlord, and the greatest warlock ever known. Lilith almost hit herself in the forehead with her palm. How could she have been so stupid? Without Emrys, Arthur would never become the once and future king. Albion would never be born and magic would never be free in Camelot. That was all she desired. And it was too late.

Almost.

Without further thought, Lilith's eyes flashed gold and a wrought silver cup appeared. Lilith dipped the cup into her pool to fill it. She then took a deep breath; knowing that truly, there was no other way. But all the same. She selfishly took her time. She thought about her life. Her terror at being ripped from her family, watching her mother burn alive for witchcraft. The screaming, the smell of burning flesh and Uther's grim face above it all, barely visible through the smoke. Years later she learned with the Druids. She had been found outside the kingdom of Camelot, wandering in the woods, crying for her mother, drinking out of streams and eating whatever berries and nuts she could find, the Druids took her in, taught her the meaning of magic, helped her to study it. She found their pity of the Pendragons confusing while looking at them through her veil of hatred. It was only later, as she grew, that she learned to let go of her hate, as she observed just what hatred and resentment could lead to. An endless cycle of persecution for her kind, fuel for Uther to use as an excuse in his vendetta. Strip away his excuse and you were left with a frightened, weak, broken man, lost to his grief and turned into a mask of hatred and tyranny. She began to use the pool, to watch the Pendragons, to watch Uther and Camelot and the attacking sorcerers and magical creatures. Eventually her interest was piqued by the young prince. An arrogant bully though he was, he was different from his father. Although this observation was easily dismissed, Arthur was too concerned with his fathers approval to go against his orders, whether he agreed or not. After she learned of the prophecies she began to watch him more and more, growing angry that the once and future king was an idiot. Then one day, Merlin was there. The physicians assistant saved the life of the 'prat' of a prince who had thrown him in jail, put him in the stocks and beaten him to pulp and from that moment, a friendship flowered, and things changed.

It had all led up to this moment for her. Lilith had spent her life watching, observing, waiting for everything to work out on it's own. But she had had to join in, get involved, participate. And she had almost destroyed it all. Now, she had to fix it. Whatever the cost.

So the said the incantation, her eyes flashed gold as she reversed the effects of the cup. Then, without another hesitation, she drank the liquid inside. She felt no pain as she dropped to the floor, the cup falling with a clang onto the hard stone. She felt only hope.

_XXX_

Gaius stood at the end of the cot, looking down onto the pale boy on top of it, a damp cloth dangling uselessly from his hand. He couldn't even form tears. He had done everything he could think of, potions, poultices, even magic, done quietly with his back to the slumped figure in the chair, with no results. He hadn't really expected any. There had been no pulse when the his ward was pulled from the horse, no change despite his efforts. He couldn't perform direct magic so openly in front of Arthur, no matter how lost the prince seemed to be. There was nothing left to try

'My boy' the old man whispered as he leant heavily upon the bedpost, closing his eyes against the sight of the boy he had considered a son lying so still and quiet. Merlin was _never_ still or quiet. He was forever knocking into things, laughing, moving, even in sleep. It was wrong for him to be any different. He was too old. Too tired to go through this. He had seen his fair share of grief and experienced more than his fair share of loss but nothing like this. This wasn't _right. _Merlin was a young boy, full of promise and destiny and power, Gaius was an old man, his life drawing to a close, his senses fading, his knowledge limited. He didn't understand how this had happened. He shouldn't have to live through this surely, Merlin shouldn't have died before him. He had seen kings fall, sorcerers die, helped some escape, watched kingdoms rise and boys grow into men. Losing Merlin meant the death of Albion, the loss of destiny; a dimmer world. Without Merlin, Gaius had nothing to live for, nothing to look forward too, no sunrise that would herald the coming of a new age. Nothing. Except a letter to Hunith. Gaius raised a hand to his eyes and wept.

Arthur stirred as Gaius moved away, but he didn't turn and look. It wouldn't be right to witness the old man's grief. And as he couldn't even deal with his own, he would be no help to the physician. Merlin looked so young and innocent lying there, as pale as the bedsheets he was lying on, a mop of dark hair in stark contrast. But black and white weren't the colours he wanted to see. He wanted to see blue, and not the faded blue of the neckerchief but the bright, piercing blue of Merlin's eyes. Those eyes that showed everything he was feeling when he didn't mind people knowing but hid everything when he did. Merlin was so shrouded in mystery and secrets but at the same time he was always honest and direct, especially when people needed it. And by 'people' he meant him. He reached forward and stroked the pale cheek. Those eyes were the first thing he saw when he woke, and usually the last thing he saw before he slept. The very idea that he would never see them again, not even for a moment, was incomprehensible. Arthur bowed his head. Wishing he had told Merlin how he had felt sooner. Wishing he had _shown _Merlin how he felt more, he wished there had been more touching, more hugs and handshakes and kisses, less insults and more endearments. Merlin was his friend. More than that he was his love, and a hero. He had saved many lives countless times. Even just helping Gaius out he had learned how to cure people or ease their passing. And that was a skill that was revered all over the lower town, where Merlin sometimes went in his spare time or when Gaius was indisposed. He went to save people without complaint, risked his own life without question, but ask him to wash your socks and you had to fight tooth and nail to get it done. Arthur almost cracked a smile at that thought. Then he remembered that He'd no longer have anyone to bounce his insults off of, or drag along on hunting trips, or yell at for no reason when he was in a bad mood, he would never find anyone else so unfalteringly loyal and kind, no one who would understand him as Merlin did, no one else knew exactly what he needed, whether it was silence, a harsh dose of reality, humour or comfort. He would never be that close to anyone again. He couldn't. Now, when he said he'd be going somewhere alone, he'd be going alone. He wouldn't have a very loud and annoying shadow to bail him out of any trouble he managed to find.

Arthur swallowed loudly and clasped Merlin's hand. He didn't want to let go of that yet, he wasn't ready. It was like a safety net had been stripped away, leaving him five hundred feet off the ground on a fraying tightrope.

Suddenly, the hand he was squeezing twitched, Arthur glanced up sharply

'Merlin?' he stood, and leaned over the body of his friend, Gaius heard his change in tone and spun on his feet, hurrying to the side of his ward.

'What happened sire?'

'He moved!', with that, Gaius shook his head sadly

'That happens sire, after … death, sometimes … '

'Look!'

Arthur brought the hand in his own up to his lips

'He's right Gaius, I did move'

Arthur laughed, one of those high pitched, relieved laughs as pale eyelids flickered and he saw blue. He flung himself at his manservant, mindful not to crush him but needing to convey his feelings with an embrace

'I take it you missed me then?' Merlin laughed jovially as he tried to sit up, covered with royal prat. But he brought his hands up to encircle Arthur's back all the same.

'Of course not, I was just thinking of the state of the stables' but despite the sarcastic tone, Arthur clung tighter, inhaling Merlin's comforting smell of woodsmoke, damp earth and mushrooms. Then he brought his mouth to Merlins and he felt whole once again.

Eventually, Gaius coughed and Arthur pulled back, awkwardly flattening his hair and straightening his tunic, expecting the old physician's chastisement. Instead he saw amusement and joy, no judgement at all as he too hugged his ward, just happy to see him alive again. Arthur, satisfied that he had shown enough intimacy for one day, decided to leave, with one last look, and an eye contact filled with feeling, he left the chamber and went to find Gwaine to tell him the news before the grief stricken knight drank himself to death.

Gaius and Merlin were left alone, and a comfortable silence reigned, until Merlin broke it

'What happened?'

You don't remember?'

'Yes, I mean, how did you bring me back? And without a wound?' Merlin rolled his shoulder to make a point 'That was shattered beyond repair, what spell did you use? And with Arthur in the room are you mad?'

Gaius looked at his ward fondly, but he was confused too

'Merlin, I didn't use any spell that could have worked to reverse death, you know that there is no such thing. But I did try a combination, almost without hope. I thought I'd lost you my boy, even if Arthur had been conscious enough to understand...'

'What do you mean? Was he hurt?'

'Merlin' Gaius said with a smile, 'I think you underestimate just how much Arthur cares for you.' Merlin blushed and the physician laughed 'But as for how you survived I have no idea. The only thing that I can think of that would have such an effect is the cup of life but we had no time to mount a search for it.'

Merlin's eyes widened

'Lilith' Gaius raised an eyebrow

'The sorceress? Why would she-' Merlin shook his head

'I don't know' he looked sad. He had harboured no resentment towards the woman. She had not seemed evil in any way. And now Merlin was certain that she had given her own life for his. He hoped that he would make her proud. He stood and hugged his guardian again 'Whatever happened, I'm glad to be back' He then left the room with a grin, 'Now I have laundry to do!'

Gaius laughed softly and sat down on the chair. What an extraordinary young man Merlin had grown to be.

**So there we go. The end.**

**I hope you liked it.**

**Thank you all for reading, please let me know what you thought, any more tears or death threats? ;)**

**I love you all**

**Love Tibbins xx**


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